Dragon Age Revisited
by alyssacousland
Summary: Love at first sight between Alistair and the warden. More romance and twists to the game. M for mature.   I don't own anything, Bioware does. I wish I did though. :
1. Ostagar

Dragon Age Revisited

Chapter 1 Ostagar

Duncan and Alyssa arrived at Ostagar. They spoke to the king and he promised to bring Howe to justice. Afterwards, Duncan and her mabari hound, Pawn, took off across the stone bridge. She looked at them until they were out of sight. Then she crossed the bridge herself and spoke to a guard on the other side.

Duncan had asked her to find Alistair, a junior Grey Warden, and two other recruits if possible so she asked the guard for directions.

As soon as she learned where everything was, she headed towards the quartermaster first of all. On the way she encountered a mage called Wynne. They exchanged pleasantries and chatted for a while. Alyssa liked Wynne. Her kind blue eyes gave her some comfort and calmed her nerves.

Once she spotted the quartermaster she trotted over to where he was. There was a dark-haired man standing next to the quartermaster, trying to get the attention of a blonde warrior, and failing miserably. Before she could ask the quartermaster for some supplies, he interrupted her and asked her if she had seen an elf running about.

"Can't say I have, no…"

"Oh, pardon my manners, anything you would like to see?" asked the quartermaster cheerfully.

"What have you got?"

She bought deathroots and fire arrows, and decided on buying a leather armor set to put on later. She felt uncomfortable wearing the Cousland silverite armor and was carrying another set in her pack.

She also got a bigger pack and stuffed all her supplies there. She took out her poison kit and brewed up deathroot poison in eight flasks she had bought. Satisfied, she turned and bumped into the dark-haired man, and looked up into a set of yellow eyes, much like those of a hawk.

"Well," the man drawled, and she instantly took a dislike to him, "You're not what I'd thought you would be."

"And what did you think I'd be?" she purred, hiding the growing dislike she felt from her voice.

"Not a woman!" the man exclaimed, "yet here you are! The name is Daveth and I was beginning to think that they had come up with this ritual preparation just for our benefit. I was sneaking around last night and over heard them saying that we would be going into the Wilds…" he trailed off as he stared into her violet eyes, his eyes widening as he took in the rest of her face. He evidently liked what he saw.

"The Wilds? So what?" she added coolly.

"It's full of monsters, barbarians and witches, that's what!" He exclaimed. His eyes roamed over her body and he wished she wasn't dressed in that armor.

Alyssa's eyes narrowed as she clearly understood what he was thinking. "That wouldn't frighten me," she said quietly.

The tone of her voice made him look up quickly.

"I'll watch your back, if you watch mine," she added with a smile.

"Oh, I'll watch your back alright," he chuckled.

"Or I could just kill you," she added still smiling pleasantly. There was a fire in her eyes when she said this and Daveth suddenly wished he was far away.

"That's extreme," he laughed nervously this time. And then he mumbled something about going off to Duncan's tent and ran, much like a dog that has just been whipped.

Alyssa smiled and laughed softly. She felt good about herself and turned to walk up the stairs to the north where she thought this Alistair was. She grinned wickedly to herself.

"Let's see what this Alistair is like," she thought. "He'd better not be another idiot like Daveth..."


	2. Meeting Alyssa Cousland

Chapter 2 – Meeting Alyssa Cousland (Alistair's PoV)

I was deliberately sassing the mage. It was so much fun to stare at his red face and hear him sputtering. From the corner of my eye, I heard and saw someone in silverite armor approaching, but I kept my attention focused on the mage-I didn't want to be turned into a toad.

"And here I thought we were getting along so well. I was actually going to name one of my children after you…the **grumpy** one." To my delight, the mage sputtered and walked away to find the Revered Mother. Turning my attention to the newcomer before me, I froze.

Maker's breath! A woman! A woman dressed in shining armor. Huh? What's wrong with **that** picture? I take in the other details: Her dark hair was pulled up in a messy pony tail at the back of her neck. She was trying not to smile, but was unsuccessful. It seemed like she had heard every single word I had told the mage and had actually enjoyed that.

I look into her violet eyes and find myself totally hypnotized and lost in them forever. Not only had I never seen eyes like those before, she was now giving me an appraising look, and by the Maker, I had never experienced a look like that from a woman standing so close to me.

I felt myself blushing and looked away from those eyes and took in the details of her face then. Maker! A perfect nose and sweet pink mouth and lips, _smiling_ lips. I didn't want to look at the rest because I knew I would not-no, _could not_ control myself if I did.

My eyes snapped back to hers and I was again lost in them. She was so deliciously unexpected, I reacted the way I always did when caught in an impossible situation and quickly shot out the first thing that came into my head.

"You know, one good thing about a blight is how it brings people together!"

I find myself wondering if she was a desire demon from the Fade, and give myself a mental shake. I notice that her eyes had grown cold after what I said. No, not cold. They had an infinite sadness in them. I wondered what I had said or done to bring this sadness to them and try to come up with something witty. I needn't have bothered.

"I know _exactly_ what you mean." Ah, sarcasm! I raise an eyebrow at her. Seeing she had a sense of humor, I carried on.

"It's like a party, we could all stand around singing songs and holding hands. **That** would give the darkspawn something to think about." I stopped myself, wanting to get some information out of the vision before me. "Wait, we haven't met, have we? You wouldn't happen to be another mage, would you?" _Oh, great! She'll certainly think you are an idiot now. Way to go Alistair! Very smooth! _

"Am I wearing a robe or wielding a staff?" she quipped playfully back at me, her eyes dancing now.

I blushed then, but quickly answered back without missing a beat, "You never know, these mages sneak up on you."

This time she laughed out loud. I stood there, laughing too, feeling proud of myself. The sadness was gone and her eyes were dancing at me _again_. We got through the boring introductions trying to make them as interesting as possible and then she started to ask questions about the Grey Wardens and the Blight. I found myself enjoying the conversation and suddenly wished it got more personal.

I was pleasantly surprised when she asked me about myself. _Was she a mind reader too?_ She seemed unimpressed about my templar training, and I continued staring at her, and suddenly she was looking at _me_, my chest, and everything else, right down to my feet. It felt like I was being undressed. Maker's breath! My face feels redder than it has ever felt before. _Holy Maker! What a woman!_

We walk around the camp together, and I find myself wishing something desperately, as I see her give a prisoner some food and look sadly at a wounded soldier. I smile at the way she talks to Ser Jory whom we meet along the way.

I wish it again as we approach Duncan and when she bends down to pet a mabari hound who is sitting next to Duncan. _Wait! She has a mabari hound?_ She keeps the twinkle in her eyes, and my wish takes precedence over the rest of my thoughts:

"_Please, oh please, dear Maker, let her survive the Joining!_"


	3. Into the Wilds

**Hi there! Just wanted to say that I own nothing, Bioware/EA does. I'd really love to read your feedback. How am I doing with Alistair? I plan to do more chapters from Alistair's PoV and would like to read your reviews on what you think about how I'm doing. Thanks! **

**So here's the next one. It's longer than the first two. I didn't like Daveth or Jory, so not a lot of love for these two here, lol. Please R&R! **

Chapter 3 – Into the Wilds

Alyssa trotted off to the quartermaster again to see if she could get anymore supplies for the task that lay before them. They were to set off into the Wilds to get three vials of darkspawn blood and secure some treaties that Duncan said had been left behind in a ruined Grey Warden tower somewhere. Alistair had made her smile and laugh and she felt alive again after what she had been through.

Since the three men—Alistair, Daveth and Jory—were following her, she quickly concluded that she was leading the group. She handed Daveth a bow and a quiver of arrows, asking him to keep a distance and position himself on higher ground. She knew Alistair and Jory were both warriors, but Alistair wielded a longsword and Jory a greatsword, so they would complement each other. She wielded twin blades: a dagger and her family sword. She coated her blades with deathroot poison and smiled to herself. Then she excused herself and ran off to find a place where she could change into the leather armor she had previously bought.

When she got back to them, she noticed Alistair give a start and gaze at her body. The leather armor she was now wearing hugged her curves tightly and she blushed and turned away quickly so she never saw the hungry look that Daveth gave her, but Alistair did, and he frowned and vowed to keep an eye on him.

They moved silently into the wilds and the first thing they encountered was a pack of wolves. Alistair moved in to shield bash a wolf that had leapt towards Alyssa but he needn't have worried for in a quick sudden movement she had sliced the wolf so badly that it lay dead at her feet.

They both continued with the rest of the pack, and seemed to naturally form a silent bond, working closely together and complementing each other's movements, hacking and killing the wolves with ease. It was like they were joined together in a dance and knew the steps all along. Daveth and Jory hardly had to do anything: Alyssa and Alistair had soon dispatched the twenty wolves that surrounded them. When they were done, they grinned at each other.

They stopped for a moment to drink some water and take a short break. Alyssa stood near a pond and cleaned up as best as she could. Alistair never took his eyes off her. He also stole a glance at Daveth who was clearly undressing her with his stare. Alistair stiffened and had to control the urge to run his longsword through Daveth. Keeping his anger in check, he moved towards Alyssa.

"That was some show we put on, huh?"

She turned and smiled up at him warmly, a strand of hair falling over her right eye and face. He caught it and gently pushed it back behind her ear. She blushed and continued to look into his wonderful warm golden eyes, seemingly lost to everything else. Alistair blushed as soon as he realized what he had just done and looked down. In doing so, his gaze fell on her long shapely legs and he felt a tingling sensation in his stomach. _Maker! What am I doing? She'll think I'm no better than Daveth!_

He quickly looked up to her eyes and face again at her answer which made him laugh.

"Yes, we _do_ work well together, don't we? Daveth had better watch his back!"

They set off again and then encountered their first group of darkspawn far off on a ridge. She quickly took her longbow and fire arrows and began to shoot at them, two hurlocks sprinted towards her but Alistair and Jory quickly finished them off. Then, in one swift movement she focused on the three genlock archers on the ridge and fired her arrows, killing them one at a time. Once they were dead she stood there, a smile playing softly at the corners of her mouth. If only her father could see his pup now!

As soon as she thought of her father, the pain and sadness returned again, and she switched to her blades, and began to move. Alistair noticed a change in her, and it puzzled him. He didn't say a word however and they quickly collected the three vials of blood and continued onwards.

After meeting and dispatching three other darkspawn groups and rogues that ambushed them, Alistair decided it was time to wash up and get some lunch. Each of them took off and sat around a fresh water pond. Alistair pulled out some cheese and bread and went over to the log where she was sitting. He wasn't very happy with what he saw, she had that sad look in her eyes and seemed to be struggling to keep herself from breaking down completely and crying.

"Hello? Can I join you for lunch? I have some cheese here!" He smiled.

She smiled back. "I love cheese!" she exclaimed and took the bread and cheese offered to her. She didn't look at him and continued to gaze beyond the clearing and into the woods.

The silence between them was broken by a wolf howling in the distance behind them and she started at the sudden noise and moved instinctively closer to him. He felt his heart skip a beat and his hands trembled slightly. Her body heat was making his heart pound again so he shoved a large piece of cheese in his mouth and looked away. When he looked back he saw to his dismay that tears were running down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly. "I mean, if you want to tell me that is. I really don't mean to pry..." he trailed off.

She lay a head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her and waited for her to talk. She continued to cry quietly and when the tears subdued, she just sat there, her head on his shoulder and did not say anything. He held her tightly and took in her fragrance: she smelled of rose water. His felt sparks in his chest, all the way to his stomach. He had never held a woman this closely before.

"I wanted to become a Grey Warden you know, but my father would not let me. Then we were under attack and my whole family was massacred. Before my father died he agreed to let me become a Grey Warden and asked Duncan to help me escape. The massacre was horrible. My little nephew was barely six. My mother, she...she stayed with father. He was badly injured and she wouldn't leave his side. I had to leave them both there..."

He understood now. He understood the sadness in her eyes, the emptiness. He felt his throat tighten and wished he could will the pain and sadness away from her. She shook her head and straightened up, grim determination in her face and eyes. "I'm sorry," she stumbled over her words. "I don't mean to be this soft and such a crybaby. I'm not you know…"

"There is no need to apologize," he answered quietly. "I'm really sorry for all that you've been through. I wish there was something I could do to make it better. I truly do."

"Oh, but you already have. Done so much! I've smiled and laughed again thanks to you." She smiled up at him, eyes shining. His heart started pounding so fiercely that he was sure she could hear it. She was so close to him, her face so close to his. Her lips parted slightly. He felt himself getting aroused and his erection throbbed painfully against his mail. He blushed but still held her gaze.

She broke away from his eyes and blushed. Maker! His eyes! They were so warm, so beautiful! She had never before felt so close to a man. He made her feel alive again and she felt so safe when he was around. She felt butterflies in her stomach and stood up quickly. "I – I'll be washing up now," she said. She headed for the pond and left him sitting there.

The wolves came upon her and attacked so quickly, she barely had time to whip out her blades. He cursed and stood up, shield at the ready and ran towards her his heart still beating wildly. Jory and Daveth heard the commotion and turned to them rushing in to help.

She felt one of the wolves tear at her and bite into her leg, drawing blood and cried out before slashing it with her dagger. Alistair's shield bashed into its snout and soon the beast lay dead before them. After a few minutes the three wolves that had attacked lay dead at their feet.

"You're hurt," he breathed and bent down to assess the damage. The wolf had done some damage and she was bleeding, so he took out some bandages and worked on her wound. All the while, he continued to frown, but said nothing. She had been looking ahead and suddenly tensed up. "Alistair! There is a ruined tower ahead," she said excitedly. He smiled at her excitement. "That must be where the scrolls are, right?"

They made their way up to where the ruined tower stood. She collected some deathroot flowers at the open entrance and saw a broken chest ahead of her. She reached it quickly and looked for the treaties. It was empty.

"Well, well, what have we here?" A voice mocked sweetly. She straightened up and found herself staring up into a pair of yellow eyes that belonged to a dark-haired woman that was slowly approaching them, a cruel smile playing on the corners of her lips.


	4. The Joining

**Let's all sigh for Alistair...siiiiiggghhh, Alistair! ;) **

Chapter 4 – The Joining (Alistair's PoV)

I would be surprised at nothing after this, and that's saying something.

We had just met two witches and Alyssa had actually smiled and been nice. I shook my head, and watched her out of the corner of my eye. She was smiling and had a satisfied look on her face. I marveled at her persuasion skills. Meeting the first witch, Morrigan, had been unsettling. Meeting her mother had been unnerving. Through it all she had stood her ground and we had gotten the scrolls.

My admiration for her grows and I imagine taking her in my arms and kissing her. My fantasy is interrupted and I blush when I realize that **she** is talking to me.

"Are you all right?"

"I - uhh- yes, of course." I realize then that I had it bad.

"I said that we should go to Duncan now, right?"

"Yes, um, of course." I snap to attention and we briskly walk to the fire where Duncan was.

Alyssa bends down to pet her mabari hound first and I get a whiff of her delicious scent before Duncan greets us all warmly.

"You return," Duncan sounds relieved. "Have you been successful?"

She answers immediately, and sounds proud. "We have."

I watch her closely, barely following the conversation. I turn to Duncan, who had his eyes on me, and by the Maker, his eyes are twinkling! He winks at me and looks at Alyssa. I grin like a fool.

Then she mentions Morrigan and her mother, and I clear my throat to speak. When I tell Duncan that they are apostates, he brushes this fact away and reminds me that I'm no longer a templar and to focus on the Joining. I feel my throat drying up and swallow. _Maker's breath! She has to survive the Joining, she has to! _

I lead them to the old temple at Duncan's request, my eyes on the ground. Jory begins complaining once we get there, and I steal a glance at her.

She is cool and composed and my heart swells with pride at this. I don't even keep track of what they are saying. I just stand there watching her.

"Will you two shut up?" She interrupts, eyes flashing. I find myself amused at her anger. "I swear I'm the bravest one here, and I'm a woman! I'm much more of a man than you two, that's for sure!"

"Had more men than us, more likely," Daveth growls at her. _Wait! What?_ I barely keep my head cool at this, my anger pounds through my veins, but my voice is calm as I snap at him.

"You will apologize to her, Daveth. Grey Wardens respect each other."

His yellow eyes turn back to her and he mumbles an apology.

My heart starts to pound as Duncan arrives, carrying the Joining cup in his hands. He asks me to recite the initiation oath and I do, my voice calm and even despite the mayhem going on in my head and heart.

When Duncan explains that they would be drinking the darkspawn blood, Jory gives a strangled cry and turns a shade of green that makes me doubt he really is a knight. "We are going to drink the blood of those creatures?"

Daveth is silent through all this, and is called upon first to drink from the cup. He chokes and falls to the ground. Alyssa lets out a gasp and shuts her eyes. Without even knowing, I move closer to her.

Duncan turns to Jory and he protests, unsheathing his greatsword slowly, while backing away. He tells Duncan he has a child and a wife, but Duncan advances, cup in hand while murmuring that there is no turning back.

My ears start to ring as I watch the whole scene unfold before me. I turn to her, and her expression has changed from pain to horror in an instant as she realizes what is about to happen.

"I am sorry, Jory." Duncan takes the dagger that he plunged into Jory's heart and wipes it clean before sheathing it again.

Alyssa's turn. Maker help me, but I feel like I want to take her in my arms and carry her away somewhere far from this. I now feel sheer terror at the thought of her falling to her death like Daveth did moments before.

"You were called upon to drink for the greater good," Duncan's words hold a finality in them and she grasps the cup and slowly lifts it to her lips. Her hands are shaking slightly and my heart feels like it's being wrenched.

She drinks.

Her beautiful violet eyes turn white and she falls, and a cry catches in my throat as at the last second I catch her in my arms breaking the fall, laying her gently on the floor. I hold my breath as I watch for signs of life in her. Duncan's hand rests on my shoulder and he looks at her intently.

"She will live," he says quietly and I start breathing again as her eyes flutter open and gaze up into mine.

"It is done." He holds out a hand to her then says, "welcome."

Duncan tells her that she has to eat and rest as they will be having a meeting before daybreak the following morning with the king, and the battle would start soon afterwards. They share words, but I can only hear Duncan saying that she will live in my head. _Thank you so much Maker! Thank you! Thank you! _

"Take care of your new sister, Alistair," he smiles and walks off to the Warden base camp on the other side, leaving us alone.

I start to babble of course. "Did you have any dreams? I had terrible dreams when I went through my Joining. How are you feeling?"

She nods and starts to say something but her voice cracks, coming out hoarse. I reach for my water skin and hand it to her. She drinks gratefully, her eyes shining. _Maker's breath! Her eyes will be the death of me yet!_

"Umm..." she sounds a little embarrassed and I look down at her, wondering what she wants that could possibly make her blush like that. My heart skips a beat. "Do you happen to have any more cheese?"

Her question surprises me and I burst out laughing while my heart takes flight and soars. "Come. I'll show you where you can wash up. The men wash on the other end, far away, so it's very private and secluded. You can come back to the fire when you're done. I'll be waiting for you with the best cheese you've ever tasted and some beef stew."


	5. Getting to Know You

**Hello everybody! I've just finished playing the game again (don't ask me how many times I've played it, lost count) and installed Dahlia Lynn's fantastic Royal Wedding mod which plays at the end and I'm in heaven! I strongly recommend this mod to all the Alistair fan girls out there. *swoons* **

**This chapter does have sensuality and minor sexual innuendos. It's all about Alyssa and Alistair and the crush they have on each other and their physical attraction of course. *grins* Hope you all like it! Please R&R **

Chapter 5 – Getting to Know You

Alyssa gritted her chattering teeth as she finished washing her body in the cold spring water and took the towel Alistair had given her earlier. She quickly dried herself, put her armor back on and headed back to the fire.

Alistair had washed up too, and his dark golden hair glistened wetly in the firelight. He had his chainmail off and was dressed in simple trousers and a shirt and was sitting on a bedroll looking into the fire. She took some time to look at his muscular body and liked what she saw. Then she stepped in front of the fire and sat down next to him.

He started, as he hadn't heard her approaching and smiled at her, and was surprised to see her in her leather armor still. "Oh, I thought you might have changed into something else. Are you sure you want to catch some sleep in your armor?' He asked.

"I don't have much of a choice," she said slowly. "I bought this armor set here and while I was leaving the castle barely had time to grab what I have in my backpack now, Duncan dragged me off and before we knew it we had left everything behind," she answered quietly without looking at him.

He could have hit himself for saying those words to her. _Stupid! I'm soooo stupid!_

Then he brightened at a thought he had and quickly stepped into a tent not far from where they were, and returned with a shirt and a pair of trousers. "Here," he said. These ought to fit you just fine. You are much smaller than me," he grinned. She looked up gratefully and went into the tent to change. When she came back and sat back down, Alistair was grinning at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing…it's just that you look…so...cute." He stammered and blushed.

She gave a short laugh and her stomach growled loudly. Alistair chuckled and went towards the fire. He quickly got two bowls of stew and then cut two pieces of cheese from the cheese wheel he had in his backpack and turned back to sit next to her after handing her the food.

After they had finished eating, Alistair relaxed and stretched his legs in front of him his elbows on the bedroll. She stretched too, and soon found herself lying next to him. He leaned over to her, his head in his hand, elbow on the ground and stared. He couldn't help himself. She was looking up into the night sky and looked so beautiful. He could feel himself getting aroused and tried to look away. The Chant of Light came into his head and he mechanically recited it and managed to look away into the fire once again.

Her voice broke the silence. "What was it like in the Chantry?" He turned back to her and smiled.

"Boring!" He exclaimed. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly a religious person."

She smiled and turned her gaze from the fire to him and looked up into his eyes. He was so handsome! She felt her heart skip a beat. She stumbled over her words, saying the first thing that came into her mind.

"So you haven't been with a woman before?" Her hand darted to her mouth and her eyes widened. _Maker's mercy! What is wrong with me?_

He looked mischievously at her and raised an eyebrow. "Why?" He shot back quickly, "Am I that obvious? Weeeelll," he drawled, smirking at her. "Have **you** ever licked a lamp post in winter?"

They both blushed and just stared at each other. She could feel the sparks between them and felt she couldn't breathe. Her lips parted as he inched his face so very slowly to hers, his lips stopped a few inches away from hers, his eyes bearing into her very soul.

She broke away and sat up, breathing hard. Alistair followed suit. She couldn't tell if it was the firelight, but swore he was blushing a deep red.

"Well, I haven't...that is...umm...you have to understand that I was raised to give myself up to my husband. So I can speak for myself. I'm a virgin." The words rushed out of her mouth. _There I go again! Brilliant, Alyssa, simply brilliant! _

There was a brief moment of silence as Alistair took in this information. He thought desperately of something he could say to break the tension between them and failed miserably. Her voice interrupted his thoughts. "I was supposed to be raised like a lady. My father was the Teryn of Highever. I hope I haven't disappointed you."

"Disappointed me?' he echoed while digesting the other bit of information she had just flung at him. _She's a noble and a virgin, and I'm a virgin too! By the Maker! Quick! Think of something you idiot! _He looked up at the sky. _Very clever, Alistair. The answer is in the stars._

She stood up, totally embarrassed and flustered and continued to babble, misinterpreting his silence. "I'm sorry. I don't want your disapproval. I know I'm being too bold, but I am bold sometimes, though never about this..." Alistair stood up quickly and held her arm. She was forced to look up into his beautiful amber eyes that were staring at her once again.

"Disapproval? You think I disapprove of what you are telling me?" He asked. "Why would I do that?" His grip tightened on her and he pulled her close. She clung to him, unable to break away from his gaze, feeling so warm, feeling the heat build up in her till she thought she would faint. Wishing him to finally kiss her lips, dying to be held and touched by him. Oh, yes! Only by him!

"I – I want to be a gentleman around you. I don't want to scare you. And Maker forbid, I don't want you to get the wrong ideas about me. I've never been this close to a woman before. Living in the Chantry isn't exactly a place to…well…meet women or…anything," he managed to stammer out.

He suddenly realized how tightly he was holding her and that he had been so very close to actually kissing her. "Maker's breath!" He exclaimed, breaking away from her. "I'm sorry my lady. I hope you don't think of me as some drooling lecher."

"No, not at all. I feel safe, like I belong in your arms. And it isn't 'my lady', it's just...Alyssa," she smiled up at him.

He smiled back. "Good to know."

"Uh, I'm thinking we have to share the tent?" she added and pointed to the only tent there.

He laughed. "No, you go ahead. I'll sleep on the bedroll here. Not a problem."

"I really like you Alistair," she said boldly. She blushed again, then added quietly, "Good night." Giving him a soft peck on the cheek, she went into the tent and closed the flap, leaving him standing there, a soft smile playing on his lips. He touched his cheek where her lips had kissed him and settled into the bedroll, gazing into the fire before drifting off to sleep.

He was still smiling.


	6. Darkspawn and Witches

**So, we have some battling in this chapter, and some of the dialogue from the game is used as well. I'll be including some more of the dialogue from the game in the future, but some of it will not be exactly the same. **

**I don't own anything. Bioware does. **

Chapter 6 - Darkspawn and Witches

The funny thing about it all was that it almost seemed like fate had arranged itself to protect Alyssa and Alistair from the get go. They stood in front of Duncan while he repeated King Cailan's request to them.

Alistair protested. "What? I won't be in the battle?"

"I agree with Alistair. We should be in the battle."

Duncan sighed and told them in no uncertain terms that if the king wanted two Grey Wardens to ensure that the beacon was lit, then it would be as the king wished. They were to head off to the Tower of Ishal immediately.

"I get it, I get it," Alistair sighed. "Just so you know, if the king ever asks me to put on a dress and dance the Remigold, I'm drawing the line, darkspawn or no..."

She supressed a giggle. "I think I'd like to see that!"

Alistair turned to her. "For you, maybe, but it has to be a pretty dress."

Duncan sighed again. Before he left for the battlefield, Alistair grabbed his arm.

"Duncan...may the Maker watch over you..."

"May He watch over us all."

After crossing the bridge that led them to the Tower of Ishal, they met a mage and a soldier who quickly informed them that the tower was under attack and darkspawn were quickly flooding the four floors. Alyssa decided that the mage should come with them and they set off, killing the darkspawn on the way.

It wasn't till they got to the second floor that they realized something was very wrong.

"Maker's breath!" He cursed. "What are all these darkspawn doing ahead of the horde? There wasn't supposed to be any resistance here!"

"Well, you can always try telling them they don't belong here," she joked. "Weren't you complaining you wouldn't be fighting?"

He chuckled as he looked down at her, his eyes twinkling. "I guess there is a silver lining here after all..."

They finally reached the top floor after killing all the darkspawn they encountered and froze. In front of them stood a huge ogre and Pawn growled menacingly.

She turned to them and said, "Alistair you distract him. I want you to paralyze it," she told the mage, who had his eyes fixed on the ogre. They took their positions.

Alyssa crept up behind it, and hacked at its legs. Then as she was thrown back, she saw Alistair bash his shield into it and the ogre preparing to ram into him. She stunned it and grinned, but her grin turned into a horrified gasp as she saw it regain consciousness and grab Alistair in one of its huge hands. "NO!" she shouted and threw a fire bomb at it.

It let Alistair go and he fell to the ground with a strangled cry. Gaining momentum, she jumped into the air, running her sword into the ogre's chest with one hand, her other hand quickly stabbing at the ogre's throat with her dagger as it fell. She pulled out her family sword, and then sank it deeply into the ogre's neck nearly severing its head in the process. The ogre groaned and was still. She ran to Alistair who groaned as he sat up. "Are you alright?" she murmured.

"I'm fine! I'm fine! The beacon...light it quickly before it's too late!" She did as she was told and suddenly they were surrounded by darkspawn. Alistair stood in front of her trying to protect her from the flying arrows. Five arrows embedded themselves into his armor and chest, and he fell with a thud. She cried out when the arrows hit her next. Then, everything went black.

When she awoke, she found herself lying on a bed completely naked. A yellow-eyed, dark-haired girl was bending over her adjusting some bandages and she sat up quickly. Where had she seen this girl before? Her mind drew a blank.

When she saw she was awake, the girl reminded her that she was Morrigan and that she, Alistair and Pawn had been rescued by her mother. She also told Alyssa that the King and everyone in the battle had been killed because the man that was to respond to the signal she lit had quit the field and abandoned everyone there, leaving them to be massacred by the darkspawn.

She sat in stony silence for some time digesting what she had just heard, and asked about Alistair. She was assured that he was fine but had taken the news of the massacre very badly. She knew that Duncan was gone and felt a pang of sadness again as she thought of what Alistair must be feeling at this very moment.

She quickly put on her leather armor and thanked Morrigan, then asked her how they had been saved. When Morrigan told her that her mother had transformed into a giant bird and plucked them off the top of the tower, she stared and shook her head. Then she left the hut to look for Alistair.

He was standing overlooking a pond just outside the hut, his shoulders slumped and had such an air of defeat and sorrow, that she rushed to his side, and put her arms around him. He gave a sob of relief and hugged her tightly not wanting to ever let her go. Morrigan's mother then shocked them both by introducing herself as Flemeth, the legendary witch of the wilds.

"If you are Flemeth then why didn't you save Duncan?" Alistair said, his voice shaking. He had let go of Alyssa but still held her hand.

Flemeth was very gentle with him, and that made Alyssa suspicious of her. As they talked, she was quick to hint that they needed help to unite Ferelden so they could fight the Blight. Alyssa remembered the treaties, which she still had with her. Alistair smiled when he saw them in her hands.

"We can do this, can't we? The mages, the dwarves, the Dalish elves all have signed these treaties and have sworn to protect Ferelden against a Blight!" Alistair turned to her babbling excitedly. "Arl Eamon should know about this! He will certainly help us. He can call for a Landsmeet against Loghain. Cailan was his nephew!" he added.

"The Arl of Redcliffe?"

"Yes! I know him. He's a good man!" Alistair replied. "I lived there in the castle, he practically raised me."

"I may be old, but this arl, the dwarves, elves and mages...it sounds to me like you are raising an army," interrupted Flemeth. "Then you are ready? Ready to become Grey Wardens and lead your army to defeat the archdemon and its horde?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," she replied quietly. She looked closely at Flemeth, and wondered why she was still so suspicious about her intentions. She had the funny feeling that the witch knew and that this amused her. She frowned slightly.

"Now then, before you leave, there is one more thing I can offer you," Flemeth said as Morrigan suddenly appeared before them.

Flemeth cackled at Morrigan, and Alyssa could see that she was about to say and do something that Morrigan would hate...


	7. Lothering

**This originally **_**was**_** a long chapter. *grins nervously* I had to divide it into two parts, and consequently Chapter 8 was born. We get more of an insight into Alyssa's character in this chapter. She simply enjoys killing bad people and has a very strong sense of justice. **

**I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feedback is appreciated! Thanks! **

Chapter 7 - Lothering

Morrigan had been teasing...no, that was not the right word...she had been cruelly _mocking_ Alistair the whole way to Lothering, the small town where she had suggested they stop to rest and get supplies before deciding which way to go next.

Alyssa felt her fists clench as she heard Morrigan's insults. It got worse because every time, she'd turn to Alistair and would see him silently staring at the ground pale and distant. _Why isn't he answering her? Why isn't he defending himself? Surely this cannot go on! _

Then it hit her..._How stupid of me! He's...he's grieving!_

She understood now. His dejected air and slumped shoulders, his eyes to the ground. She understood why. Duncan. He had been like a father to him. That was it. She recognized the signs for she was going through that herself.

When Morrigan opened her mouth to once again refer to Alistair as a 'stupid oaf' among other things, she spun around and growled at Morrigan, "Shut it, Morrigan! I think I've heard enough for today." Morrigan took one look at the fire in her eyes and shut her mouth pressing her lips into a thin line.

Alyssa stole a look at Alistair out of the corner of her eyes and saw he had not even registered what had just happened. The look in his eyes was just...dead. Dead and lifeless. She felt a pang of sadness herself and turned to the road. She could make out some people ahead. _Great...a welcoming committee. _

"Wake up gentlemen," mocked a cocky voice. The leader, no doubt. "More travelers to attend to. I'm guessing the pretty one is the leader," he sneered at Alyssa. Alistair suddenly came to life.

"Highwayman," he sighed. "Probably preying on people seeking refuge in the town."

"They are fools to get in our way," Morrigan scowled. "I say teach them a lesson!"

Alyssa eyed the man and grinned wickedly. The man was taken aback.

"So you're toll collectors, huh?" she asked sweetly. "Uh, oh." Alistair said. Somehow he knew that she was getting ready to attack. He mentally prepared himself, hand halfway to his sword.

"Yes! That's right! We are! A simple 10 silvers and you're on your way," smiled the bandit, thinking these had been far easier than the others that had come this way.

"Well, you see, I have a problem with that. I'm here to rob you blind and kill you, I'm afraid," Alyssa said thoughtfully.

One of the bandits who had a stupid face and voice to match, groaned that they were armed and didn't look like the rest that they had killed and robbed. Something snapped in Alyssa, and her blades flashed out. Alistair whipped out his sword and shield, but he wasn't fast enough. In a swift movement, stepping and dancing around them, Alyssa had already slain two of the bandits. Alistair swore, and soon two more lay dead.

The bandit leader tried to get on Alyssa's good side, and begged for mercy. Alyssa cut off his head.

Alistair blinked.

She wiped her family sword and dagger on one of the bandit's leathers and moved around, looting the corpses. She spotted a knight templar lying dead face down on the stone and looted him. She found a locket and a note, and read the note about a certain scholar called Genitivi, before pocketing that as well.

"Well, we are certainly richer than we were before," she said wistfully, gazing at the 60 silver she had in her hand. " Unfortunately it's not enough," she added with a sigh.

Alistair turned to look at her and she smiled, then rummaged through her pack for something. She brought out one of the silverite armor sets she still had from Highever.

"Here," she told Alistair. "This belonged to my father, put it on." She turned away, pointing at some boxes stacked on the road, which formed a semi-private room almost, and he caught her meaning and walked into the half-secluded spot to undress. He took out a towel and some water from his water skin and washed himself. It had been her father's armor. He at least wanted to be somewhat cleaner than he was at the moment if he was to wear it.

When he finished, he wordlessly went up and stood by her side. She glanced up at him and felt she was going to die. Damn, he was so handsome! No, this would not do! She was a Grey Warden and she had to stop a Blight. She would NOT give herself up to romance, or sex or...SEX? Why was she thinking about sex now? Oh, sweet Maker!

She gave a start and felt herself blush. Alistair now looked confused, unsure of why exactly she had given a jump and blushed, but since she was slowly going down the ramp into the town, he followed her, cleared his throat and said, "Well, here we are. Lothering...pretty as a painting!"

So in the end, Lothering had been a crappy town. She did the chantry jobs on the board and cleared it of the bandits, helped as many people as she could along the way, and decided it was time to visit the inn-a dismal looking shack of an inn-to get some food and ale. She was famished.

She did not expect to be welcomed by Loghain's solders there and this instantly put her in a very bad mood. She literally growled at the Chantry sister who had butt in, trying to 'help' her. Nevertheless, the sister had fought along with them. The man in charge of the soldiers begged her to stop and surrendered after seeing two of his men sliced down by this formidable woman.

She agreed to stop only if he would send a message to Loghain.

"Tell him we know what really happened. The Grey Wardens are coming for him," she said quietly.

He hastily agreed and he and his two remaining soldiers exited the inn quickly.

The sister introduced herself and tried to join their group and cause. Alyssa barely noticed this, her mind somewhere else as she had noticed a merchant in front of where they were standing, and was considering selling the other silverite armor she had in her pack which had belonged to her mother. She was very reluctant to part with it, but they needed the money, and since Alistair was wearing her father's matching set, she thought she could keep that one instead. So she was mildly surprised when the sister said, "Are we getting a move on, then? Good! Where are we going?"

"I'm going to-wait! What?" She turned to the redhead, slightly flustered and noticed a smile creeping up on Alistair who was standing beside her.

The sister repeated that she was going with them. And when Alyssa told her she wasn't, she quickly revealed that the Maker had told her to go with them. Alyssa was struck dumb for a moment, her mouth forming an O of surprise.

Alistair chuckled and coughed, when she turned to face him. "More crazy?" He asked innocently. "I thought we were all full up." He sputtered into silence, a smile again toying at the corners of his mouth. At least he wasn't dejected or sad anymore, Alyssa noticed.

"And just what help would you be to me?" She asked Leliana.

"I can fight, I can do more than fight. I left that life when I joined the Chantry but if I am to join you, I will gladly take it all up again to fight against the Blight."

There was something about her that made sense, even if she did seem a little insane. Alyssa thought about all the help she needed and agreed.

"You must have cracked your skull harder than mother thought," was Morrigan's comment.

Annoyed at everyone at the moment, Alyssa addressed the merchant, sold whatever she could and bought them all gifts.


	8. Conversations

Chapter 8 - Conversations

When they set up camp that night, away from Lothering, its dead bandits, wolves and giant spiders, Alyssa suddenly found herself agreeing with Morrigan and thought she was certainly insane. She was now traveling with a depressed ex-Templar, a former Chantry sister with addled brains, a murderous Qunari, and an apostate. Could it get any better than this?

She sighed and looked into the fire before deciding she needed to wash her filthy body and hair in a creek not far from their camp. Alistair was sitting in front of the fire, staring into it miserably now. She didn't want to talk to him yet. The need to be clean was greater, so she grabbed a towel and some soap and headed towards the creek.

To top things off, the dwarves she had saved from darkspawn on her way out of Lothering had followed her group and had set up their tents in the camp as well. This, however, was something good. Firstly, she would have goods and food ready wherever she set up camp. Secondly, she had transportation for their things whenever they moved. Of course she needed to speak to the dwarves about this first, but she had a feeling that they would agree to anything she said, as she had, after all, saved them from certain death.

She smiled happily as she scrubbed, feeling so much better once she was clean and dry. She dressed in simple trousers and a long white shirt, and head off to camp, her long unbraided wet hair plastered over her shoulders.

She sat beside Alistair in front of the fire when she got back, setting her towel to dry on another log next to the fire first. Alistair gave a start. It was the first time he saw her with her long hair down and she looked gorgeous. She felt him staring and looked at him. He quickly looked back into the fire, blushing a deep red as he did so.

She wrinkled her nose at the smell of him. _Maker he really stank!_ She cleared her throat.

"Do you want to talk about Duncan?" she asked softly.

"You don't have to do that," he said quickly, still staring into the fire. "I know you didn't know him as long as I did."

"He was like a father to you, I understand." Her voice was warm and soothing.

Alistair sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost it like I did. Not with the Blight looming up against us and everything. Duncan warned me that this could happen. Any of us could die in battle. I'm sorry," he added again, tears brimming his eyes.

"There is no need to apologize, Alistair," she said softly.

"He came from Highever, you know. At least that's what he said. I think I'll go up there when all this is finished and put up a memorial for him, have a proper funeral I mean. I don't know. I don't think he had anyone, no family I mean."

"He had you," she said sweetly.

Alistair looked at her. He felt a warm tingling sensation in his stomach and it was spreading. "Have you had anyone close to you die? Not that I mean to pry, it's just-"

"My entire family was massacred by Arl Howe a few weeks ago, remember?" she answered quietly.

Alistair flushed and stammered, "Oh! Of-of course! How stupid of me to forget! Here I am going on and on about Duncan, when you..." he trailed off, then added with a smile, "Thank you. I mean it. It felt good to talk about this with a friend."

"I might go with you to Highever when you go," she said smiling up at him. _Maker, there it was! That warm look that made her melt! _

"I think I'd like that. So would he I think," he said warmly.

He quickly broke the gaze before it threatened to make him do something that would embarrass him, and stared into the fire again. She cleared her throat.

"So you said this Arl Eamon raised you?"

"Did I say that?" Alistair said quickly looking back at her. "I meant that dogs raised me. Slobbering dogs from the Anderfels."

"That would explain the smell then," she said wrinkling her nose.

He laughed. "Well, they were flying dogs, you see, and I only learned that you had to lick yourself clean when I was eight..."

"That would explain the breath as well," she added breaking into a grin.

"Alright. Let's see, how do I explain this? I'm a bastard. And before you make any smart comments, I mean the fatherless kind. Arl Eamon took me in and raised me. He was good to me, and he didn't have to be."

Alyssa listened to his story. He had been sent away because of the Arl's wife, what a bitch! Now she understood why he didn't want to lead and why he seemed so defensive. She listened. Heard about his mother's amulet and how he had smashed it into the wall. Saw the sadness in his eyes when he remembered that. When he finished speaking, he turned to gaze into her eyes again, a sad look etching his face.

"Alistair?" She said softly. "Do me a favor?"

"Yes?" he asked his heart hammering in his ribs. She gave him a peck on the cheek before she could stop herself, and squeezed his hand.

"Go to the creek, take a bath and clean your teeth. You stink," she wrinkled her nose.

He burst out laughing. It was good to hear.

"Your desire is my command."

He stood up, walked to his tent, grabbed some soap and a towel and went off to the creek. Alyssa smiled.

He was whistling.


	9. Nightmares

**This chapter is a direct result of imagining a different scenario to the nightmare experienced in the game. If the female warden is falling in love or in love with Alistair, wouldn't it be logical that he would be in her nightmare as well? Anyway, I thought about changing that too. So here it is. There is angst in this chapter as well (of course). You have been warned. **

**I'd really love to read your opinions on what I'm writing. Don't be shy and drop me a line. ;) **

Chapter 9 - Nightmares

The weather was nice and she decided she would sleep out by the fire, instead of in her tent. She was so tired, she immediately fell asleep without even knowing she had.

She found herself in a dark place, a cavern of sorts, and knew she was underground. She thought it had to be a dream, where was the camp?

Then she saw the dragon, the same one that had taunted her after her joining. She saw it face her and felt a tingling sensation in her stomach. Alistair materialized beside her, running to kill it.

Giving a cry, he plunged a sword directly into the archdemon's skull. She saw a bright light engulf them and they were both thrown back. She turned to him and crawled to his side. His warm eyes were cold, staring at nothing. He was dead.

She awoke with a jolt, drenched in a cold sweat, tears streaming down her cheeks. Alistair was next to her in a flash, holding her and whispering soft words which she didn't hear. She could only hear his beating heart and found relief washing over her in waves. _He was alive! Alive! Thank you, Maker! Thank you!_ She clung to him, afraid to let go.

When she had calmed down, Alistair released her reluctantly. She straightened up and looked into the fire. "Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" He asked softly.

She shook her head vehemently.

"All of us have nightmares. The Grey Wardens, I mean. It's a connection between us and the darkspawn. Because of the taint..." He stopped talking because she was looking at him. There was something new in her eyes. It was fear. No, not fear, horror. "The nightmare was that bad, huh?"

She nodded this time, still quiet, not trusting her voice enough to speak up without bursting into tears.

"You learn to control the dreams after a bit," he added. "What you are seeing is the archdemon speaking to you in dreams. It speaks to all the darkspawn, and since we carry the taint we hear it and feel it, just like they do."

When she finally spoke again, he was surprised to hear the coldness in her voice. "Any other surprises that I should know about?"

"Well, there is some information that you should know about." He added slowly, dreading her reaction.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Spit it out already!"

He blinked at her. He couldn't understand the coldness or anger. This reaction was bad. Worse than he had thought it would be...

"Well, thing is, Grey Wardens do not die of old age. We are expected to live thirty years give or take after we take the Joining, but not longer. The taint is a death sentence. Ultimately it will destroy us. That's when the real nightmares begin, so the Grey Wardens head off to Orzammar to fight a final battle with the darkspawn before dying."

She said nothing to this, only hung her head wearily.

After a while, she broke the silence between them. "Why exactly Orzammar?"

"Well, the darkspawn are there, underground, in the Deep Roads. The dwarves fight them their entire lives to keep them from taking the city. They respect us for our final battles with the darkspawn. You know, Duncan said he had started having the real nightmares before the battle at Ostagar. He told me he would probably be heading off to Orzammar soon," he sighed.

"Anyway this is why the Joining is kept secret," he finished off. He continued to look at her face and saw that she had not relaxed. If anything, it felt as if she was angrier. She said nothing, however.

When she stood up, he did the same, hoping to try to comfort her. She moved away from him to her tent. Before she went in, she stopped and spoke without looking back at him.

"Any other secrets I should know about?"

Alistair could not bring himself to tell her anything else. In fact, he didn't know if there was anything else. He had only been in the order for six months after all. "No, not that I can think of," he said quietly. She nodded, and went into her tent, closing the flap behind her.

In the days that followed, Alyssa was distant and brooding. Alistair did the best he could to bring her out of it, but he could not make her smile nor get a sentence out of her. She had shut him out, and he was hurt because of this. His temper got the best of him and he stopped talking to her altogether. He thought it very unfair that she should punish him for not telling her about the nightmares. He didn't know what she had dreamt about and that she wasn't punishing him at all, but punishing herself. She honestly thought that if she kept him away, she would stop having the nightmare about him dying.

She didn't have the nightmare again, but she hadn't been sleeping much either. Leliana noticed something was very wrong and decided to talk to her. She didn't say much to Leliana either, but was grateful for her company. They grew close and suddenly, when Alistair thought he was finally over being angry at her, he realized that he felt something else whenever he saw them together. He felt jealous.

They were heading to the circle tower. Alyssa had heard some gossip back in Lothering about the mages turning into demons and monsters and she wanted to know how much of it was true.

They camped a day away from Lake Calenhad, Alistair moodily staring at Leliana and Alyssa who were chatting. He caught some of Leliana's words, and sighed. He could tell that Leliana was flirting with her, but he knew that Alyssa didn't realize this. She was so innocent she couldn't even imagine or think about two women being together.

He knew about all this because of what his fellow Grey Wardens had told him. In fact, all that he knew about women and sex was what his brothers had told him.

Alistair smiled when he remembered that they had suggested he find himself a good whore to get rid of his virginity. He had stammered a 'no' to them. He could not bring himself to have sex just to have sex. He felt it had to be done if he loved, not because he wanted to succumb to desire.

Even though he was a virgin, he certainly wasn't innocent. He knew what Leliana was doing, but he didn't do anything about it. After all, what could he do, when Alyssa had pushed him away since the nightmare?

He was surprised, therefore, when she stood before him later that night. "It's my turn to take up watch," she said quietly, looking down at him. His heart did a summersault and he cursed at his lack of self-control.

"Right," he said and quickly stood up. She looked up at him, and he saw the fear in her eyes again.

"Alyssa, what's wrong?" he asked, before he could stop himself.

Her lovely violet eyes clouded and he saw the sadness in them. Before he could stop himself, he took her in his arms and pulled her to him.

She stood there, not hugging him back...until he felt something break inside of her and she pushed him away. "Look, Alistair, I think we should stop...stop...umm...touching each other," she added slowly, without looking at him.

"Why? You told me before you felt safe in my arms. Do you not feel this way any longer?"

"No, it's not that at all. I...um...I think we should focus on stopping the Blight first," she added after giving it some thought.

"What does the Blight have to do with any of this?" He pressed.

"We have to focus on the task at hand, we can't afford to be...to be...umm...distracted," she added quickly.

"So you think I'm a distraction? Is that what this all is to you? A distraction?"

"No, I don't mean it that way at all," she added feeling like she was fighting a losing battle.

"No? Then what do you mean?"

"Maker's blood, Alistair! You are impossible!"

"I'm impossible, am I? Since you had that nightmare, you haven't even talked to me. What did I do wrong? Are you so angry at me for keeping that information from you?"

"No! That has nothing to do with it at all!"

"Then what is it? You are pushing me away, as if I was a bastard...oh wait! I _am_ a bastard! And a commoner!" He laughed bitterly. "Boy I never saw _that_ coming. I should have known that would bother you. You _are_ a _noble_, after all."

He bit his tongue after the words came out, wishing he had never said them. But it was too late.

She slapped him.

"How dare you suggest I'm petty enough to think that?" she whispered angrily.

He stood there, his right side redder than the rest of his face, sadness creeping into his eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't know what to think. I don't understand why you are acting this way. If you only talked to me, maybe we could work this out."

"I don't want to talk about it, can't you see that? I don't want to work anything out!"

After a while, he nodded. "I'll not bother you again," he whispered and went into his tent, leaving her standing there. The tears that had been threatening to fall finally came, silently pouring down her cheeks.

They did not stop for a long time.


	10. Mages, Demons and Abominations, oh my!

Chapter 10 - Mages, Demons and Abominations, oh my!

The tower was under attack. 'Of course,' Alyssa thought wryly. She knew at that moment that nothing would ever be easy in this madness she had been thrown into.

She barked orders at her small group. Alistair was there, and when they fought against the horrific abominations, she felt like she was back at Ostagar and the days when they were flirting. Wynne was a wonderful mage and healer, so her support was invaluable. And Leliana would disarm traps and shoot arrows that never missed their mark.

All in all, they were making progress, slaying everything in their way till they reached the fourth floor. Once there after encountering a demon who had a templar under her spell, Alyssa opened the door in front of them. The demon before them was no ordinary demon. Before she could whip out her blades and stab it, she suddenly found herself standing in a fortress and Duncan was calling to her.

She felt it was all wrong, so very wrong. A memory nagged at her and she blurted the words out before she could even think them through.

"Wait! You should be dead!"

The would-be-Duncan laughed at this and denied it. Then he told her that the Grey Wardens had eradicated the darkspawn and killed the archdemon. _What?_

She did not believe this, and before she knew it, he flickered and she saw a demon in his place. The demon faded and she saw Duncan standing there again, but this time she knew it was all a lie. She fought like she had never fought before and soon killed this fake Duncan as well as the 'mage' and 'archer' that had begun to attack her.

Once free of everything she was surprised to see a pedestal appear before her. Before she could barely collect herself she was thrown into a place where she met Niall, a mage, who explained what the place was.

Apparently she was in the Fade, trapped in the Sloth demon's realm, and she had to get through a series of tests and dimensions and defeat more demons. Once she had done this, she would be able to rescue her companions from their nightmares or dreams and only then she could face Sloth and kill him.

Niall had the Litany of Adralla and this was to be used in her final confrontation with Uldred, who was behind all the destruction and blood mages in the circle tower. The Litany would protect them against the worse of blood magic. When she understood everything that she had to do, she set out to accomplish the tasks at hand.

Once she had finally defeated everything in her way, she had to go to different realms to set her companions free. Leliana thought she was back at the Chantry and the Revered Mother before them had been a demon. She managed to get the redhead to believe her, and convince her it was all a dream.

Wynne thought that the dead mages that lay before her was the proof that they had failed and the circle was lost. She used logic on Wynne and the one thing that made her open her eyes was, "Can't you see that you are in the Fade? Aren't you a mage?"

Once Wynne was rescued and disappeared, she walked to the pedestal again, knowing that it was Alistair's turn. She didn't know how she would handle it, she dreaded being close to his dreams.

He was standing looking off into the distance a smile playing against his lips, a dreamy look on his face. Standing next to him was a woman, and her heart jolted as if it had been struck. She recognized what she was feeling as jealousy and walked up to him. He recognized her and looked down at her with such adoration in his eyes, that she found herself melting as her self-control broke down at last.

"Hey! I was just thinking about you, isn't that a marvelous coincidence?" he asked happily. "This is my sister, Goldanna, and these are her children, there are more about somewhere. We're one big happy family at long last!"

Then she saw it. All he ever wanted was a family. To belong. To be loved. And she had denied him this. She felt the tears and shook herself mentally. She could not fall apart now. She had to rescue him. 'Why rescue him,' said a little voice inside her. 'He's happy now. How can you take this happiness from him?' She looked at the fake Goldanna and saw a sly smile playing around the corners of her mouth and understood. The demon was putting these thoughts into her head.

Convincing Alistair that it was all a lie was the hardest thing she had to do so far, but she did it. Once they had dispatched the demon and the skeletons, she turned to Alistair, who grinned at her. She didn't care about the Blight and she couldn't continue being apart from him any longer.

Looking deep into his eyes, she threw caution to the wind, and kissed him.

Alistair froze. She thought he would surely push her away, but he put his arms around her and kissed her back. She felt her lips part in surprise, and he eased his tongue into her, deliciously playing with hers as their mouths worked together. They clung to each other frantically.

Then he disappeared.

Alyssa walked to the pedestal for the last time and found herself standing in front of Sloth. The rest of her companions appeared. Sloth found it amusing that she wanted to kill him. Then the fight began.

It was a difficult fight, but they won. Niall appeared before them and told her that he couldn't go back with them. She found herself apologizing and wishing she had been there earlier to save him. He didn't mind, as long as she saved the circle. She promised him she would.

Then they were back at the tower, and she took the Litany from Niall's body. Alistair was suddenly standing in front of her still looking at her with adoration. She gave a sob and hurled herself into his waiting arms. They stood there for a few minutes holding each other tightly. Wynne cleared her throat.

They broke away, looked at each other again, and smiled.

"Let's get this Uldred, and kill him," she said to no one in particular.

When they finally killed Uldred, and rescued the First Enchanter, they made their way back to the entrance of the tower on the ground floor and talked to Gregoir. First Enchanter Irving found himself promising the mages' support during the Blight and all was well.

Even though Alyssa felt happy that she had recruited her first major group to aid her against the Blight, she felt even happier when she saw how proud Alistair was of her. He positively glowed, his eyes starry and warm.

Wynne had asked the First Enchanter for permission to follow her, which also pleased her and she told the older woman that she would be honored to have her in her group.

It was in a kind of a daze that they made the trip back to the dock and when they touched firm ground, Alistair asked Wynne and Leliana to please go ahead to camp without them. They would catch up with them later.

Alyssa blushed and looked down at the ground and waited to see what he would say.

**A/N: We will get an insight on Alistair's PoV in the next chapter. Get ready! You know what's coming next! *giggles***

**I want to thank Harmakhis for the reviews too!**

**Oh, and the last thing I want to say is that I really, really, really hated playing through the Fade, which is probably why I only focus on freeing the companions, so I'm sorry I don't linger on the battles and quests in this chapter.**


	11. Of Roses and Assassins

_Oh, what's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet_

_Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare_

Chapter 11 - Of Roses and Assassins

**(Alistair's PoV)**

I see her blush, and think she would never cease to surprise me. Here was a woman who was independent, so sure of herself, yet she stands before me now, looking so vulnerable and self-conscious. I want to take her in my arms then and there, but I resist the urge when I remember why we are here. 

After finding what I was looking for in my pack, I pull it out and hesitate for a few moments, stealing a glance at her. She was now looking at the lake and the moonlight made her seem ethereal. I feel my breath catch as I realize that I have grown to care for her more than I dare admit to myself. Could this be love?

I clear my throat, and when she turns to face me, I feel myself tremble slightly. _Maker! She has such an effect on me!_

I look down to what I have in my hand. A red rose looks up at me. Suddenly I knew. I knew that I wanted her forever, for as long as forever meant to us. Before she has a chance to see what I am up to, I take her hand and put the rose in her palm.

"Here. Do you know what this is?" As usual, my cleverness surprises me and I groan inwardly at what I just said.

She looks down and sees the rose lying in her palm, petals still intact. "Your new weapon of choice?" and she brings it to her nose and smells its fragrance.

I burst out laughing at her response. She always does that- makes me feel so at ease, even when I say the silliest things. "Yes! Watch while I thrash at my enemies with floral arrangements! Feel my thorns, darkspawn, I will overpower you with my rosy scent! Or...it could just be a rose. I know that's pretty dull in comparison..."

"Sentiment is a pretty powerful weapon," Her brilliant smile warms me. Her dancing eyes captivate me and bear into my soul.

"Is it that easy to see through me? Ha! I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I picked it in Lothering. I remember thinking, 'How can something so beautiful exist in a place with so much despair and ugliness?' I probably should have left it alone, but I couldn't. The darkspawn would come and their taint would just destroy it...So, I've had it ever since."

"That's a nice sentiment," she says sweetly.

My heart gives a jolt. My palms are sweating under my gauntlets, and I feel my heart will probably crack from all the pressure, but I press on.

"I thought that I might give it to you. I think the same thing when I look at you."

"Feeling a bit thorny are we?" She flirts jokingly and her comment puts me at ease once again. _Maker! What have I done to deserve her?_

"Wow! She'll never see through that one, I thought! Boy was I wrong."

She chuckles then puts the rose to her nose again, blushing as she takes in its fragrance.

"Thank you Alistair, that's a lovely thought. So, are we married now?" Her voice is husky, rich and vibrant...

"Ha! You won't land me that easily woman! I'm quite the prize after all...no need to start crying on me or anything! I guess it was...uhh, a stupid impulse. I don't know. Was it the wrong one?" _Wait! What? Why did I just ask that? What if she says it was the wrong impulse? Can you be even more brilliant, Alistair?_ I wait for her reply for a few agonizing seconds, holding my breath...

"No it wasn't. Thank you, Alistair."

My relief boosts my ego. "I'm glad you like it. Now if we could move right on past this awkward embarrassing stage and get right onto the steamy bits, I'd appreciate it!" _Bold and saucy now, Alistair? Will that work?_

"Sounds good," she shoots back at me, catching me completely unawares. "Off with the armor then!"

I feel myself blushing deeply. _Uh oh!_ I stammer out my reply. "Damn, bluff called! She saw right through me!"

"Why must it be a bluff?" She asks coyly and I melt, my knees and legs suddenly turning into jelly.

"Well, it doesn't have to be a bluff. Maybe when we're back at camp one night, you know...in a tent..." I smirk thinking I've finally beaten her at her game.

"But we're alone now and who needs a tent anyway?" _You lose, Alistair!_ The voice in my head taunts. I can now feel my blush spreading all over my body. My erection threatens to burst out of my armor and I falter.

"Hey we **are** alone, I hadn't noticed!" I laugh nervously, "Who needs a tent for stuff anyway, right?"

Her eyes widen and I realize I've gone too far. "I'll be standing over there until the blushing stops...you know how it is..." I back away.

To my surprise, she bursts out laughing and approaches me, swaying her hips. My mouth feels dry as I stare into her dancing eyes.

My whole body aches with desire and before I can stop myself, I take her in my arms and bring my lips down to hers. I remember the kiss we shared in the Fade and wonder if she thinks this is our first kiss. Then, I stop thinking altogether.

Her lips part and my tongue takes advantage of this and finds hers, while her hands roam restlessly around my neck, finally finding my hair where they entwine themselves. I gasp into her mouth and my hands grind her to me, mindless of my armor. One of them seems to have a life of its own as it travels down the small of her back stopping inches away from her...her...I groan...her..._hindquarters_... I feel my pulse quicken. My erection now feels so huge it throbs painfully against my armor and I slowly break the kiss off, looking deeply into her eyes.

I realize then and there, that I am falling deeply in love with her, if I'm not already. I can't bring myself to exist in a world without her. She looks into my eyes and I see the fire burning in them, the desire, _her_ desire, and something else...is it love? "That wasn't too soon, was it?" And this time, I don't regret asking her a question.

"No, not really. I liked it better than the one we shared in the Fade!"

The joy in my heart causes me to laugh again, and I pull her to me, her body melts against mine. I hold her close, wishing for the world to stop at this moment so I can hold her close forever. I break away slowly after a few minutes, far enough to gaze into her eyes.

"Maker's breath, but you're beautiful!" My fervent whisper causes her to tremble. "I am a lucky man!"

Bodahn and Sandal, the two dwarves who pitched their tents in their camp every night after selling their goods on the road didn't have armor to sell. Alyssa frowned and went over this before finally deciding that they should probably go to Denerim, buy all the necessary supplies they needed, and get some decent armor while they were at it. She had managed to get good things while at the tower and knew they would fetch her lots of coin in return.

She gathered the group and announced that they would be heading to Denerim. Nobody spoke, they just stood there and looked at her.

"Well? Nobody has anything to say then?"

Alistair cleared his throat.

"What is it Alistair?" She said, looking up at him.

"Well, if we go to Denerim, may I remind you that Loghain probably has taken precautions and his soldiers will probably arrest us?" Alistair said pointedly.

"I realize this," Alyssa answered. "But we need supplies and we really must get armor. Especially for you Alistair," she said.

"Well, I like this one," he smiled.

"It's not a matter of what we like. That armor is hardly giving you protection as it is. We also need more things, I need more reagents for my poisons and fire bombs, and Bodahn has run out of deathroot flowers and fire crystals. We also need things for cleaning up, soap and other supplies," she added. "I need to sell the things I have so far that we don't need, this will add to the money we have now, so we can get everything we need and probably more..."

"I do agree with what you're saying," Alistair said. "But we shouldn't be putting ourselves into more danger than we already are. Maybe we should try concealing ourselves a bit more, try not to call attention to ourselves?"

"An excellent idea. I have some cloaks here. If we keep out of the way of the guards and soldiers, I'm sure we'll be fine!"

Everyone agreed to this.

"Alright, then it's settled. Let's pull up camp and go," she said.

They were on the road about an hour later, and walked in pairs. Alistair and herself in the front, holding hands, Leliana tugging behind while singing a tune under her breath and chatting to Wynne who was walking next to her, and Sten and Morrigan at the end of their group. Her dog kept up with her and at other times fell back, running back and forth amongst them all.

After some time, they suddenly spotted a woman running towards them, her blonde hair a mess as she wildly came up to them, screaming. "Help! They've attacked the wagon! We need your help! I'll show you where they are!" She then ran off, leaving them standing there. Alyssa turned to look at Alistair who had a puzzled look on his face.

She cleared her throat. "An ambush! A proper ambush! Well! I guess that's a first," she grinned.

"How do you know..."Alistair began and was cut off by Morrigan.

"You fool! You think these so called 'bandits' who attacked the wagon would let her escape so she could run off alone to show us where? If that is the case, either they are the worst bandits in all of Thedas, or she is lying and it's an ambush."

Alistair turned to look at Alyssa who gave a quick nod at what Morrigan had just said. As he put on his gauntlets, Alyssa spoke to them all. "Right, let's get ready. Sten, you wait for my order to start hacking. Morrigan, focus on any archers, on higher ground. Wynne, stand at the ready to heal us. Leliana, you know what to do. Pawn, don't attack till I tell you to!" The Mabari gave a short bark.

They walked up to where the woman was now standing. Alyssa saw a blond elf suddenly materialize in front of her and smile. Then he gave a signal.

Three archers appeared at higher ground on the left, overlooking where they were standing and pushed a tree which groaned and started to fall over Alyssa. Alyssa jumped away, the tree falling behind her and narrowly missing her. Two more archers appeared on higher ground on the right of where they were standing.

"The Grey Wardens die here!" The elf called out dramatically, flourishing his twin daggers. Alistair whipped out his shield and sword and gave his battle cry. Alyssa yelled at Pawn to attack the woman who was actually a mage and then yelled, "Sten, get them!" before running towards the blond elf, her blades drawn.

Leliana was standing behind her, watching her fight the elf. She took in all the details and suddenly understood. "Alyssa!" She yelled. "These aren't common bandits!" She aimed and the arrow embedded itself in one of the archers, killing him instantly.

"What do you mean?" Alyssa panted, and managed to stun the elf long enough to turn to look at the redhead.

"They're assassins!" Leliana shot back at her.

**A/N: I kept most of the original rose dialogue from the game almost exactly to the letter, because it's one of my favorites.**

**There are original dialogues in the next chapters mixed in with dialogues from the game.**

**I don't own anything, Bioware does.**

**I hope you are enjoying this as much as I enjoy writing this! Love the reviews, keep them coming! :D**


	12. Alistair and Zevran

**I kind of like Zevran, especially because he thinks he's irresistible, which he isn't! *giggles* I think that Alistair would have taken an immediate dislike to him, not only because he threatens his 'territory' but because he throws innuendos at the female warden from the get go. In my best Zevran imitation: "We have to remind ourselves that these are medieval times, no?"**

**I want to thank PurpleCandyCorn for her review! Made my day! *grins***

**I don't own anything, but lucky Bioware does. :) **

Chapter 12 - Alistair and Zevran

The fight hadn't been all that hard. What surprised Alyssa was that she had somehow gotten hurt. The elf was still breathing and she wanted to question him. Fortunately since everyone had a great deal of blood on themselves, she knew they couldn't tell that the blood on her was her own.

The elf was very talkative. He gave information freely while directing innuendos at her. She frowned. Alistair stood beside her clenching his fists menacingly. The elf, however, seemed oblivious to this, or maybe he just didn't care.

He told them his name was Zevran, Zev to his friends, and that he was a member of the Antivan Crows.

"And what exactly are the Antivan Crows?" She asked, starting to feel a little dizzy because of the loss of blood.

"I can tell you that!" Leliana piped in. "They are a group of assassins, based out of Antiva and very renown for getting the job done. Someone went to great expense to hire this man."

She quickly found out through further questioning that it was, of course, Loghain who had hired him. Then she discovered that the elf had been sold in the slave market when he was very young and bought by the Crows who raised him. She felt sorry for him.

When she decided to take him along she surprised even herself.

"What!" Alistair's voice boomed beside her, making her head ache. "You're taking the assassin along? Do you really think that is a good idea?"

She felt a wave of nausea to accompany her dizziness and answered him, still not taking her eyes off the handsome blond elf who looked smugly up at Alistair. "Don't worry about it, Alistair. He could be of some use to us."

"All right, all right. I see your point," Alistair gave in reluctantly. "Still, if there was a sign marked 'desperate', I think it just knocked on the door and said hello.

As soon as the elf was helped up by her he gave his oath that he would follow her and continue to do so until she decided to kill him or cast him aside. Alyssa looked at him, then threw up all over his boots.

The elf jumped back and everyone saw her double over and fall to the ground on her hands and knees where she continued to heave and vomit till there was nothing left to vomit. Then she fainted.

Alistair stared and then panicked.

"What have you done to her, assassin?" he roared at Zevran who blinked.

"Alistair, she is hurt!" Wynne cried out and he followed her gaze to a gash on Alyssa's side that ran all the way from her armpit to her waist.

"Maker's breath!" Alistair swore and dropped down on his hands to take her in his arms.

"Let me work on her. Better yet, let's walk a little further and set up camp around here, she must be attended to and fast. She's lost a lot of blood," Wynne pursed her lips.

Alistair picked her up and took her a bit farther away. There was a stream up ahead, and the place seemed to be perfect for setting up camp. He laid her gingerly on the ground and took his bedroll from his pack, already spreading it out. Then he laid her on it. Wynne was already working on the wound.

"I need some space, please Alistair," Wynne spoke kindly. Alistair mumbled something then began barking orders at everyone to set up camp. They all worked together, casting worried glances from time to time at Alyssa's still form and Wynne working over her.

After some time, Wynne approached Alistair, who was standing in front of a fire he had just finished building. He had taken off his armor and looked disheveled and lost. His worried gaze fixed on Wynne. "Will she be alright?"

"Alistair, the blade that hurt her was poisoned. I think you should question the elf on antidotes. If we don't give her the antidote, she will die," Wynne said softly.

He opened his mouth then closed it quickly. He felt it difficult to breathe and nodded. He spun around and approached Zevran who was looking at all this calmly, sharpening his twin daggers as he approached.

"I need the antidote to save her life," he told Zevran, who raised his eyebrows as he looked at Alistair up and down. "I don't know if you will give it to me, seeing as your job was to kill us, so I'm going to make it really easy for you. If you give me the antidote, I won't kill you."

Zevran stood there looking at Alistair. He knew that he should and probably could take advantage of the opportunity that was before him. He knew he should probably fade out, stand behind this warrior and stab him using the same crow poison he had used on the girl, but he found himself intrigued by the girl herself, and even this man. And Zevran was not easily intrigued by anything these days.

She had chosen to spare him, even though she had been mortally wounded by him, why exactly was that? And why was this fool talking to him when he knew that he could probably do the same to him? Oh, he could tell that this big oaf was quite taken and possibly in love with the girl, she was attractive enough, that was certain.

So, instead of making any move whatsoever, he smiled up at Alistair and said, "So, is it love you feel for her or lust? Lust I would understand my dear friend, she is delicious..." Alistair punched him in the face before he could continue and he felt blood on his lip.

Instead of being angry, however, he was amused. 'Ah, so he does have feelings for her,' he thought. In the meantime, Alistair had taken hold of Zevran's daggers. Zevran suddenly realized this man wasn't as stupid as he seemed to be. He grinned at him.

"Alistair, please, the antidote," he heard Wynne's voice yell out to him in despair. He turned back to Zevran who already held a vial in his hands.

Alistair took it, fastened the daggers on the side of his belt and ran back to Wynne. "Help me get her inside a tent, I will need to undress her and wash her, she is filthy." He nodded and did what she asked. Then he left the tent and sat down in front of the fire and felt the tears coming. He bowed his face and wept silently.

Zevran saw this and was puzzled at the tableau before him. Leliana walked past him and quietly informed him that if she died, she would kill him. He looked up at her and took in her figure and smiled to himself.

He turned around and began to study each person in the group carefully. So, this woman had recruited all these people who were so different from each other? A Qunari, a delicious redhead bard, an elderly mage who was trying to save her life, another mage, or rather a witch, he laughed softly to himself. Then he saw the mabari who was lying in front of the tent, sad eyes on the flap, watchful and alert. He turned back to Alistair who had stopped crying and saw him kneel to pray. If this woman was capable of inspiring such devotion from such a mismatched group of people, then there surely must be something more to her?

The witch was approaching him this time. She did nothing to hide her dislike for him and he felt the urge to giggle. He held a blank face and waited for her to speak.

"So what is going to keep you from poisoning your target or all of us for that matter, now that you have been allowed to accompany us, I wonder? Do you not realize that if she dies, you die?" Morrigan said slowly.

Zevran flashed her a smile, taking in her luscious body, his eyes resting on her breasts which taunted at him from the folds of her ragtag top. Morrigan's eyes narrowed.

"You are. You will be watching me ever so closely to make sure I attempt no such thing," Zevran purred.

"And why would I do such a thing? Sneaking into our good graces in order to make another attempt is what I would do, were I you."

"And here I was becoming rather fond of the idea of you watching me closely," Zevran licked his lips.

Morrigan resisted the urge to cast a crushing prison spell on him and smiled. She persisted. "It would be a simple enough matter to poison the food in camp. Or cut our throats while we sleep."

"You seem rather charmed by the idea," he laughed.

"It would seem an appropriate result of sparing your life."

"Oh? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you then. The next time I am spared, I'll be sure to immediately turn upon my benefactors. Will that do, my dear?"

Her yellow eyes flared up with fury at this, and she turned and abruptly left him, heading back to her tent. He followed her with his gaze when another figure obscured his view. He saw that Alistair was now standing over him, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly.

He looked up at his full form. He was handsome enough. Maybe he could have some fun with him later? He decided to test the waters, thinking that maybe this gorgeous hunk of a man wasn't inclined to having that sort of activity with other men.

"Ah, your figure is truly amazing, my dear man. Such an attractive, strong Grey Warden you are! Perhaps we could get to know each other better, no?"

Alistair blushed and looked at him, plain disgust registering in his face and eyes. Zevran quickly - and sadly, concluded he would never have him so he waited for Alistair to recover and talk to him.

"I don't know why she allowed you to come along," Alistair said finally, "but I want you to listen very carefully. I have my eye on you. Should you try anything, _**anything**_, I swear I'll kill you, after beating you up first."

"Anything? Then I must conclude that you two are...ah, how should I say it? Together? Are you bedding her?"

"Of course not!" Alistair claimed indignantly.

"Oh?" Then the elf grinned wickedly and said, "Then it looks like there is hope for me after all."

Alistair punched him, and caught him square in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He was about to punch him again, he didn't care about hurting him, all he wanted to do was reduce him to a bloody pulp and wipe that sensual grin off his lips.

"Alistair, she's awake!" Wynne's voice interrupted him, and he stood there catching his breath, his anger dissolving quickly. Before he ran off to the tent where Alyssa lay, he turned to Zevran and said, "Just remember: I'm keeping an eye on you!"


	13. Of Love and Commitment

**This is one of the main reasons I decided to write this story: I wanted them to fall in love earlier in the game and commit. I love the game, but felt that this angle was necessary, especially since we never get a chance to see them marrying or a glimpse into their lives together. I felt an urge to fill this need, being an incurable romantic myself, lol. **

**Some of the in-game dialogue is used in this chapter, but other original dialogues are also used. **

**As usual my disclaimer: Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 13 - Of Love and Commitment

He walked into the tent, closed the flaps and sat beside her, and she watched him with her lovely violet eyes, taking in the pain and fear in his. She held out a hand and he took her hand in his. The first thing she said shocked him and she suppressed a giggle.

"I told you we had to get armor."

"Alyssa," he groaned and leaned over her, too afraid to take her into his arms. She looked so vulnerable and fragile right now.

"I'm fine, Alistair, really," she murmured and kissed his hand.

He kissed her, taking her into his arms gently, then tenderly breaking away. She saw it then when they looked into each other's eyes. She saw the love and tenderness there, the fear of losing her, the pain of her being mortally wounded while he had not been able to protect her, to shield her from harm.

"Alistair this wasn't your fault," she said.

"I didn't protect you, I failed you," he murmured and traced her face with his calloused fingers, pausing only after tracing the outline of her lips.

"You were fighting. How could you know what I was doing? This is all my fault. I should never have gotten distracted. But Leliana told me they were assassins and before I knew it, he had attacked. It isn't Leliana's fault either, I thought the deathroot poison would stun him longer than it did. I was foolish," she said and closed her eyes.

"No, please, don't blame yourself."

"I won't if you don't," she quickly retorted.

He had nothing to say to this, but saw where she was coming from and nodded.

They were silent for a while and then he spoke. "I have things to tell you. Well, two things really. You should know about this. I only ask that you please try to understand and not interrupt me till I'm done."

She nodded and waited.

"Do you remember Goldanna from the Fade?"

"Yes, I imagine that she really is your sister?"

"Yes, she is. I didn't know until all of us were in Denerim. Duncan told me about her and I checked out the information. I know where she lives. I didn't visit her because we set off to Ostagar so I didn't have a chance. But I wanted to ask you if we can do that once we arrive in Denerim. I'd really like to meet her. I've never had a real family before and she didn't know about me either. Maybe I could warn her about the Blight too, so she could get herself to safety, I don't know..."

"Of course, Alistair, no worries. We will stop by and see her."

"Thank you so much! You have no idea of what this means to me," he said breathlessly.

"I think I do," she smiled sweetly. He kissed her again, savoring her lips and tongue. He broke off, feeling very aroused. He could see that she was breathing heavily and looking at him with desire. He blushed.

"You said that there was something else?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Weeelll," he drawled. "I told you about Arl Eamon taking me in, right? The reason he took me in was because King Maric was my father, which made Cailan my half brother, I suppose..." He stopped and looked at her closely waiting for her reaction.

"Sooo, you're not just a bastard, but a royal bastard," she finally said.

He laughed, relief flooding all over his face. "Yes, I guess you could say that! I'll have to use that line more often," he grinned. Then he was serious once again. "I would have told you but it never really meant anything to me. I was told to keep it a secret, and that I was inconvenient to Cailan and the throne, so everyone who knew either coddled me or resented me for it. I wanted to keep it from you as long as I could. I'm sorry."

"So you are the heir to the throne then?"

"Maker's breath, just hearing you say that gives me a heart attack! I hope not! No, if there is a heir, it's Arl Eamon himself. He is popular with the people and his sister was married to Maric. And that's fine by me! I certainly don't want to be king!"

"You don't want to be king, why?"

"Hello? Have you met me? I'm not a political person. I can't sit on a throne and make decisions that affect the lives of people. I'm not a leader of men! I'm just a Grey Warden, and I like being a Grey Warden, if I can be a Grey Warden by your side, that is..." he trailed off and looked into her eyes with such love and tenderness she felt herself melt.

Leliana burst into the tent, a bowl of hot stew in her hands. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Wynne says you have to eat," she told Alyssa. Alistair wondered how much she had heard.

He didn't have to wait long. Leliana turned to him and smiled. "There are tales of lost kings that return to their lands to reign in glory," she said breathlessly.

"I am not king, nor am I lost. And there is nothing glorious about me," he protested.

"You are Maric's son, you are the rightful king of Ferelden."

"I am the son of a star-struck serving girl and an indiscreet man who just happened to be king. Look I can't be king, Leliana! Some days I have trouble figuring out which boot goes on which foot!"

"Complete fools are made leaders of kingdoms every day, and you are not a complete fool," Leliana shot back.

"What an utter relief," Alistair muttered sarcastically.

"Besides, you won't need to dress yourself, that's what advisors are for, right?"

"And star-struck maids, apparently," Alistair shot back.

Leliana giggled. "I'll be outside if you need me, Alyssa." She left the tent smiling.

"Well, I suppose now everyone will know," he said quietly and rolled his eyes.

Alyssa smiled up at him, then she held out her hand and used her finger to beckon him to come closer. He grinned and took her in his arms gently. "So, why didn't you tell me this earlier?" She asked softly.

"Well, I suppose I didn't want you to like me because of my blood, I wanted you to like me for who I am. Once people know this, I stop being just Alistair and they treat me differently, like a bastard prince, you know what I mean?"

"I love you the way you are Alistair, I never cared about your blood," she said quietly.

He froze and looked at her, his heart thumping wildly. "Did I fall asleep and am I dreaming? Or did you just say what I think you said?" He dared hoped it was true.

"What? That I love you? Yes, you heard it," she grinned. "And I'm quite sure about it, too."

"Maker's breath!" He managed before bringing his lips on hers and kissing her again and again. He then whispered between kisses as his hands lightly touched her face and hair, "And I love you...always!"


	14. The Merry Town of Denerim

**Some original stuff, mixed in with stuff from the game. Alyssa and Alistair really make a cute couple, lol! **

**Thanks so much for your review, Harmakhis! Yay! **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 14 - The Merry Town of Denerim

They set off for Denerim a week later. In that time, Alyssa had questioned Zevran, and after giving it some thought decided there was more to the elf than met the eye. She ignored his sexual innuendos which immediately peaked Zevran's interest even more. Apparently he wasn't used to being brushed off, and this only made him want her more.

Alistair continued to glare at him, which Zevran found amusing to say the least. He suddenly felt that belonging to this group was exactly what he needed.

Their trek to Denerim was slow. Alyssa was still recovering, and Alistair never left her side, holding her hand whenever possible, or walking with his arm around her. Everyone knew they were together, so this did not pose a problem. Therefore, one day when they had stopped to set up camp for the night and Wynne approached her, she found herself gazing into the older mage's kind blue eyes and was surprised at her question.

"You're quite taken with each other, aren't you?" She quizzed thoughtfully.

Alyssa felt a pang of anger following her surprise. "Yes, quite," she answered a little too curtly.

"I wanted to know what your intentions are with him?" The mage carried on, oblivious to her tone.

She spun around and stared at her unbelievingly. She couldn't trust herself to answer for a while, so Wynne took the opportunity to continue.

"Alistair is a fine lad, skilled in battle but quite inexperienced in things that deal with the heart. I would hate to see him get hurt."

"Are you saying that I might hurt Alistair?" She said, struggling to keep her anger in check.

"Not intentionally, no. But there is great scope for pain and tragedy here. You are both Grey Wardens, and he is the son of a king."

"Alistair doesn't want to be king."

"That may be so, but you are a Grey Warden. You can't afford to be selfish and love is ultimately selfish."

"I am not just a Grey Warden but a human being with emotions. Are you telling me to end this?"

"You may have to, to avoid pain and suffering in your lives," Wynne said.

"I am not giving up what we have, no matter what you say!"

"I have given my advice, do with it what you will," Wynne answered back and turned back to her tent.

Alyssa just stood there not wanting to believe what had just happened. A pair of strong arms suddenly went around her. It was Alistair, who had just returned from taking a bath in the stream nearby. She leaned against him and smiled, not wanting to worry him with what had just transpired so she said nothing.

"I think it's your turn to bathe, my lady," he spun her around and kissed her lightly.

"Are you saying I stink, ser," she joked.

"No, not at all," he grinned and then wrinkled his nose. She thumped at his chest and he pulled her to him, kissing her passionately. She broke away, and laughed, grabbed a towel and soap from her tent, and ran off to the stream.

His gaze followed her, imagining what she must look like without her torn armor on, and he blushed.

...

Denerim was a busy town, full of people and merchants. Before heading to the merchants she caught sight of the Chantry and the Chantry board. More money to make clearly appealed to her.

She saw Leliana and Wynne head off to the market square, and Zevran tagging along behind them. Morrigan and Sten had chosen to remain at camp with Pawn, a few miles away from Denerim. Alistair was standing beside her, holding her hand. He caught sight of the Chantry doors and some Templars standing there, squeezed her hand and told her he would be right back. She looked on puzzled as he spoke to the Templars. Satisfied with their reply, he returned to her side.

"Well, let's get you some armor before we even consider weeding out the bandits as requested on the board," he said with a smile on his lips.

She let herself be veered away into a store near the Chantry which had a stunning looking leather armor set in blue and black. She loved it. Alistair gave her a gentle push in the store and she tried it on. It fit perfectly like a second skin. When she appeared at his side dressed in her new armor, his gaze travelled down her body and she could tell he loved what he saw. She blushed and paid for her armor. Then they looked around for something for Alistair.

Once she got him fitted into the new shining silverite heavy armor, she gasped at the vision before her. "Alistair, you are really, really handsome!" He blushed and then smiled at her, self-conscious of the looks he was getting from the owner of the store who clearly found him attractive. She giggled, realizing how uncomfortable he felt, so they paid for the armor and left.

They were walking towards the town center, when he stopped still and pointed to a door on their left.

"That's my sister's house! I'm quite sure of it...yes...that's the right address. She could be inside! Should we go inside?" He started stammering. "My sister! Sissssteeer! Mmmm, now I'm babbling. Maybe we should go, let's go! Let's just go!"

She looked at him all flushed and standing there sweating, and she made the decision for him and gave a knock on the door before opening it and stepping inside. Alistair followed her still blushing a deep red.

Once inside, he found his voice, "Ummm...hello?"

"Eh?" A thin woman said as she made her way to them. "You've got linens to wash?"

"I'm not here to have any laundry done," he said nervously. "Are you Goldanna? If so, I suppose, I'm your brother!"

"My what? What tomfoolery are you folk up to? I am Goldanna yes!"

"He's telling the truth, please listen to him," Alyssa said quietly.

Alistair went on to tell her that their mother had died while giving birth to him at Redcliffe castle. She reacted very badly and nearly threw him out of the house, but then remembered he was a prince and tried to get some money out of it. Eager to please, Alistair swallowed his disappointment and asked Alyssa for some money which she readily gave him. Apparently the money was not enough for her and she reacted very nastily and violently, and called him names.

Alyssa felt her anger boiling over. "You have some nerve treating your brother this way!" Goldanna in turn called her a tart following after his riches, and that's when Alistair lost his temper.

"Enough!" He shouted, his cheeks a bright crimson. "You will not speak to her this way. She is very important to me and deserves respect!" He then said he was sorry that he had ever come and promised he would do his best to look after Goldanna's children. He muttered a quick goodbye and took Alyssa outside, closing the door behind him.

"Well, that didn't turn out the way I expected!" Alistair said, his shoulders sagging. "I suppose I'll keep my promise but I feel like such an idiot!"

Alyssa took a deep breath and held his hands. "You're not an idiot, my darling," she said softly. "But you should realize that everyone is out for themselves."

He looked crestfallen and she hugged him tightly. "Yes, I suppose you're right, I should. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's just go..." He hugged her back and they walked away.

"You know, Wynne told me some time ago that we should end this," Alyssa said in a thoughtful tone as they stopped to grab something to eat.

Alistair stopped still and his eyes widened. "She what?"

"Yes, she's actually worried that we'll end up separated somehow and we won't be able to deal with that. She specifically said there was a lot of scope for death and tragedy. Well...we are at war, aren't we? Anything could happen."

"No." Alistair's voice was firm and determined. "I'm not going to lose you. We are going to survive, we **have to**! Listen, Alyssa, hear me out. I can't live without you. When you were injured I realized how much you mean to me. I couldn't bear the thought of carrying on without you. You - you're not thinking of ending it like Wynne said, are you?" His voice shook slightly at the question.

She laughed softly in spite of the seriousness of the situation. "Of course not! I'm afraid you're stuck with me, Alistair. For better or worse."

He gave a sigh of relief and took her in his arms, holding her tightly and kissing her. Then he added, "Actually, I appreciate you telling me this. It helps me make up my mind about something."

"Oh? And what would that be?" She smiled.

"It's a surprise. You'll see..." He grinned wickedly at her as he deftly guided her towards the market square, his arm around her shoulders.

They met up with Wynne, Leliana and Zevran in the market square. Alyssa sold off some things and gave each a share of the sales which was a little over 15 sovereigns. Then they each went off to buy some things for themselves and agreed to meet later in the afternoon, turning the spot into a rendezvous point.

It was getting late and they had already decided to stay in town so Alyssa found herself in the Gnawed Noble Tavern asking for rooms for all of them. Unfortunately there were only three rooms available, which meant that one of them would have to share their room.

She counted the money she had left over and found it to be enough for baths and food for their stay in Denerim. She had rented their rooms for two days, there had been a lot of jobs posted and she felt it was necessary for them to stay long enough to complete the jobs and rest a bit while they were at it.

She smiled and wondered if Alistair would object to sharing a room with her. The smile turned to a blush and a grin and she resolved to ask him just to see what his reaction would be. She felt they were ready enough to take their relationship to the next level. Smiling at this thought, she went back outside to meet them.


	15. First Knight

**Warning: Explicit sexual/adult, **_**really mature**_** content in this chapter! You have been warned! **

**I always thought that if Alistair was hardened in the game, he would be more determined to keep his love by his side always. I didn't really agree with how the game handled the whole first night scene or the end of the game for that matter. Well, more of the ending (which also has surprises in store for all) in later chapters. **

**Sorry about this chapter being so long, I couldn't get it to be shorter.**

**Right now, let's focus on- ahem- the smutty, steamy bits, lol. **

Chapter 15 - First Knight

They all sat in a booth and ordered ales and food before asking for hot baths for the evening. Alyssa still hadn't told them the sleeping arrangements, and felt she had to. Alistair was holding her hand and did not take his eyes off her. Zevran was looking at her too. Wynne and Leliana were chatting happily seemingly oblivious to everything else.

Alyssa cleared her voice. "There are only three rooms. Wynne, I don't think you'd mind sharing your room with Leliana?" Wynne nodded her head and said she wouldn't mind.

She then turned to Alistair, who was still watching her intently. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing a room with me?" she blurted out and waited for his reply.

Wynne gave a start and looked at them both, a surprised look on her face. She didn't speak, however.

Alistair's eyes widened and his blush spread to his neck. "Oh! You mean, _sleep_ in the same room?"

Leliana giggled. Zevran cleared his throat and silkily said, "I wouldn't mind sharing the room with you my dear," Alistair glared at him, and grabbed the table, his knuckles white. "What did you say?" he whispered.

The waitress showed up with the ale and Alistair leaned back as Alyssa took his hand and whispered something in his ear. He calmed down after that and smiled squeezing her hand. Wynne and Leliana eyed the elf, who was staring blankly ahead, seemingly lost in thought.

Alistair was now drinking his ale and seemed to relax considerably. Then without thinking twice about what he was about to do, he whipped out a pouch and stood up, then knelt in front of Alyssa, his hands opening the pouch and bringing out a gold band. Everyone looked at him in stony silence, taken aback and blinking in surprise.

Without looking at anyone else except Alyssa, he took the band, and said, "Alyssa, I love you more than life itself, I want to be with you always. Will you marry me?" He then held out the simple gold band to her waiting for her reply.

Leliana cried out, and clapped her hands. Wynne broke into a genuine smile, and Zevran's face clouded over before once again adopting the blank look everyone was used to and a mechanical smile played on his lips. Alyssa looked at Alistair, her mouth in an O of wonder and surprise, then she leaned over and kissed him.

They broke into applauses, and she held out her hand as he slipped the ring on her right ring finger, his hands trembling slightly. The waitress appeared with their food and they all started to eat and talk at once. Alyssa and Alistair stole glances at each other and blushed. Wynne looked at them. _By the Maker, they really love each other. Perhaps I was too hasty in speaking to Alyssa that way about their blossoming relationship?_

Then Alistair surprised the group even further by adding that he would like to get married the following day. He didn't want to wait for the Blight to be over.

"Are you sure about this, Alistair? I mean after the Blight things might turn up differently. Eamon might not agree to take the throne after all and you may have to become king."

"If you are my wife, I wouldn't even care about that," he said softly, "And as much as I hate the idea of becoming king- _if_ it would ever come to that - _nothing_ would matter and I would be ready to take everything or anything up, as long as you are here by my side. I just love you, need you and want you. I _want_ to get married tomorrow."

She smiled at this, looking at him with such love and tenderness that made him pull her to him softly and kiss her tenderly. Then they ate the rest of their meal. Alyssa asked for all their baths to be drawn and they waited while drinking some more ale. Both Alistair and herself were just sitting there looking into each other's eyes, seemingly lost to everything else.

Alistair leaned over to whisper in her ear, his voice low and husky. "Are you sure about spending the night with me, my love? I know that like me, you haven't been with anyone before..." His whisper caused her to tremble, and he felt his heart beat faster.

She nodded, looking at him with intense desire. His eyes darkened with desire as well, and he hugged her tightly. No other words were necessary, except for three words- _I love you_- that he whispered into her ear that made her smile and kiss him softly on the cheek.

A servant approached them and told Alyssa her bath was ready. She excused herself from the table, said goodnight to everyone and bent over to Alistair, whispering that she would be waiting for him. Alistair watched her retreating form in a dream-like state.

Once inside their room, she bathed herself. She knew he would be there soon, so she waited, dressed in a simple white tunic she had bought with nothing underneath except for her panties.

After some time, she heard a knock and answered the door. A servant was standing there and asked if she could draw a bath for her husband who was coming up. She smiled at what the servant said and nodded.

Alistair stood in the doorway a few minutes later, smiling nervously at her. "Your bath is waiting, my love," she said softly. He kissed her and then walked over to the bathtub, drawing the curtains around him and bathed, washing away the grime and dirt.

As he dried himself with a towel, he discovered to his dismay that he had forgotten to bring a change of clothes with him. _Maker's breath! I can't just stand in front of her stark naked! Ah, towel! Yes!_ He hurriedly, but firmly, pulled the towel around his hips covering himself from the waist down before stepping out to where she was sitting.

She took in his muscular chest, and her eyes lingered on the towel. She could see a bulge underneath and she giggled, blushing. He pulled her up into his arms and whispered, "We could wait till tomorrow, till we are properly married, you know."

"No, I want to do this with you," she said shyly. He nodded and kissed her gently at first, then more demanding as his passion grew. His erection rubbed against her and she moaned.

He groaned and continue to kiss her, their lips parted and tongues found each other. His arms roamed around her back and one of his hands went up to her chin, her face and trailed to her neck burying itself in her lovely soft dark hair. His lips kissed her face and then kissed her jaw line and moved behind her ear, she moaned again softly. His erection throbbed and he whispered, "Maker! I love you so much!"

She felt her knees and legs turn to jelly. Taking her into his arms, he carried her to the bed and set her carefully and tenderly on it. His kisses continued on her neck, tongue and lips bringing soft sounds and groans from her as he went down the V line of her tunic. His hands were on her hips, then trailed down to her legs.

He stopped kissing her and looked into her eyes, his eyes shining with his desire and love for her. "Can I touch your breasts?" he asked softly. She nodded biting her lips. The emotions burning in her stopped her from uttering words. He smiled and his hands roamed over her breasts over her tunic, left hand on her left breast, right on her right breast as he moved and caressed them gently taking his time. She moaned again and surprised him by sitting up and taking off her tunic.

He froze for a moment as he looked at her breasts, full and large, moving up and down as she lay back again, breathing heavily. His erection was on the verge of exploding, his head felt the same.

He touched her breasts again, this time kissing all around them before his mouth found a nipple and kissed it. She drew in her breath sharply, and moaned with pleasure, so he took her nipple in his mouth again and this time sucked it gently while kissing it. He did the same to her other breast, and she arched her back slightly.

She was still wearing her panties, and he caressed her hips, while slipping his fingers over her laced panties. He undid the ties on the laces and slipped the panties off, and she lay there naked breathing heavily looking at him. His eyes were dark with desire, a fire burning in them that made her want him even more.

"I really think you should take that towel off, my love," she said still breathing heavily.

He tore the towel off and stood there, looking at her, drinking in the beauty of her body as she lay before him. She eyed his manhood, so large and erect and gasped. "It's so big!" There was a desire in her voice that made him smile.

He lay down beside her, took her in his arms again, and began to kiss her all over. He sucked her nipples, and she arched her back again. His hands moved over her body restlessly. He started to shower kisses below her breasts and moved down to her navel. She moaned in pleasure.

He parted her legs gently and looked at her. "Maker's breath, you are so beautiful," he murmured as he kissed her, she bucked her hips at him. He looked at her folds and found the spot he wanted. He began to touch it gently while lowering his face to it and drank in her scent. He noticed she was wet and paused while his thumb rubbed it gently. She whimpered and spread her legs even more.

He brought his mouth down and kissed then tentatively licked it and she arched her back while pressing it on his mouth. Then he took it in his mouth and sucked while one of his fingers pressed and entered her very slowly, and gently.

"Oh! Oh! Alistair! OH, MAKER!" He was surprised at how quickly and passionately she responded, and saw that his brothers had not been wrong at all. He pushed all the lessons they had taught him from his mind and continued to lick and suck till he put his tongue in her and tasted her.

"Maker, Alyssa, you taste so good!" He groaned. She continued to move and wriggle, and was literally driving him crazy. He had to gather up all his past templar training to control himself. She grabbed his penis and he moaned and pleaded for her to stop as she inadvertently moved it the way he did when he was self pleasuring himself. "Oh! Please stop, my love," he cried out.

"Why do you want me to stop? Did I do something wrong?" she breathed heavily, as he continued to touch and caress her, this time putting two fingers into her. She fell back and her hands clutched at the mattress, and she arched her back again.

"No, it's not that...I won't be able to... last if you continue doing that."

He kissed her lips again and again sucked her nipples, his hands roaming over her body. She pulled at his hair and her nails scratched his back. "Please, oh, please Alistair, I'm so ready, I need you inside me, please!"

He still took his time and concentrated on her again, his tongue working his way into her core. She arched her back to him and moaned again. "Please, please!"

He couldn't resist anymore. Breathing heavily, he took his throbbing erection in his hand and positioned himself, then slowly and gently began to push at the entrance.

She began to writhe and he kissed her. He pushed again, and felt the resistance in her. There it was, her maidenhood. He paused and stopped kissing her. "Are you ready, my love? I don't want to hurt you..." concern all over his face and in his eyes.

She nodded unable to speak, and opened her legs wider, putting her hands on his buttocks pressing him to her. He gave a grunt and pushed again and felt himself tearing into her, and she cried out in pain.

He stopped, taking his time, wanting to erase the pain he was causing her. "Are you alright, my love?" He crooned into her ear. She kissed him and then nodded, "Yes, it's fine. Don't worry. It's supposed to hurt, just continue, please!"

He pushed again gently and she stifled a sob and held on to him, but then pleasure took over the pain and her legs suddenly came around his hips as she held onto him. He then pushed all the way inside, and waited, covered in sweat, breathing heavily as he felt her tightness all around him, her wetness...

He moved so very slowly easing himself outwards until the tip was the only thing inside, then pushed in again slowly. She gave a soft scream and started wriggling, and that drew him over the edge. He picked up the pace and moved faster, his desire and fire burning for her as he kissed her and started to whisper, "I love you!" over and over again.

In and out and in and out again, the desire climbing in both of them. Her muscles started to contract as they held him, and as she contracted, stars burst in her brain and she soared. He could not hold on any longer, he gave a last thrust, deep inside her and released his seed, while screaming her name. After a few moments, he kissed her gently while they lay there bathed in sweat, their hearts still thumping wildly, he still inside her.

After their beating hearts had slowed down, he gently pulled out and she moaned, then put her head on his chest, and he continued to hold her in his arms, while his hands caressed her back and hair gently. He felt so complete, so in love, he never imagined he could feel this way. He felt her shiver slightly and sat up, drawing the sheets and blankets over her body and his and took her in his arms again. They dozed off for a short while in each other's arms.

Alistair was the first to wake, and he looked at her sleeping as he held himself up on an elbow, his head resting on his hand. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she woke and she smiled up at him.

"You know, according to all the sisters in the monastery, I should have been struck by lightning by now," he joked.

"That so?" she purred.

He bent down and kissed her. "Yep! Lightning first then the end of civilization as we know it. You realize our little party is going to talk about this...they _love_ gossiping..."

"First smart comment and I'll feed them to the darkspawn," she laughed.

He laughed too and said, "See? This is why I love you. And tomorrow, we are getting married! I want to shout it out to everyone! I'm so happy, Alyssa. I never thought I could feel this way. Thank you for loving me, my love..." he kissed her gently.

"How did you know what to do Alistair?" she smiled coyly at him.

"Oh, ha ha! You know I lived with my Grey Warden brothers for six months. They felt that they had to teach me something, even though I never did visit a brothel like they suggested. They...uhmm...were very graphic and detailed when they gave me their talks, and one of them had a book, 'The Art of Passionate Love'. I read it from cover to cover," he blushed.

"Well, I would have loved to thank them. You were wonderful!"

His blush deepened, and he looked very pleased with himself. "Are you sure you enjoyed it? Didn't it...hurt?"

"It did hurt, but then, oh! I never felt that way before! I saw stars in my head..." It was her turn to blush and he grinned.

"The Art of Passionate Love, huh?" She teased. "I've seen that book. You can't actually _read_ it, you know," she added coyly.

He lifted an eyebrow in response and laughed heartily before bending down to kiss her. "I love you, my darling," he said and the joy in his voice made her heart sing. She held him close and kissed him back, her lips parting and her tongue exploring his mouth meeting his tongue on the way.

"Hmmm," he said as he again started to touch her breasts. "You said the room was to sleep in? Sleep? What's that? I think _sleep_ is something we won't be getting much of tonight." He half-laughed at his own joke and they threw off the sheets and blankets kissing each other in the throes of passion.

They finally fell asleep at dawn...


	16. The Wedding and The Duel

**Some more smutty, steamy bits towards the end of the chapter, so WARNING! Adult/sexual content ahead, lol **

**In my best Wynne imitation: "Ah, young newlyweds!" **

**I always wanted a wedding, though we never get a chance for that in the game, as we all know. *sobs, then fumes* **

**Being married, of course, is also about living with another person, and true love is about teaching them to become better individuals along the way. I wanted a married life for Alistair and Alyssa, in the midst of all the madness they had been thrown into, so that's one of the main reasons I'm writing this fic. I was curious about how they could handle being married and the Blight along with the quests as well. So things are bound to get really interesting from now on! **

**Hamarkhis, I'm so glad you think the same! And yes, I do agree about Wynne, but I made her slightly *insert evil grin here* 'redeemable' in this and later chapters. Thanks so much for the reviews! :D **

**PurpleCandyCorn, you have my deepest thanks and just to say that reviews are what make me update very frequently! They truly inspire me to keep going! Thanks again! :D **

Chapter 16 - The Wedding and the Duel

They got married in the Chantry the following morning. Alistair had also bought himself a simple gold band much like Alyssa's, so they had the rings, and their friends as witnesses.

Alyssa had bought herself a simple white dress that hugged her in the right places, at Leliana's insistence who swept her away to shop as soon as she emerged from the room. She blushed once Leliana had finished helping her dress when she looked at herself in the mirror. The bard had also done her hair in soft ringlets that fell across her shoulders and framed her face.

Leliana wept through the entire ceremony, Wynne smiled through it all and vowed she would apologize to Alyssa as soon as the opportunity presented itself. She could clearly see that they made each other extremely happy and wanted to let Alyssa know she approved of their marriage.

Zevran still could not believe what he had heard the night before, his room being right next to theirs. He had heard stories of the Grey Warden stamina but when he heard them making love for the sixth time, he wondered if somehow he could be recruited into the order and felt very envious and frustrated.

When the wedding was over, they grabbed a bite to eat at a food stand in the market square and concentrated on the Chantry board jobs. The job that was urgent was to dispatch three groups of bandits in the back alleys of Denerim. Alyssa went to her room at the Tavern to change into her armor as the rest waited for her outside.

They went through the back alleys and killed the bandits that were scaring and robbing the citizens blind.

After getting rid of the third and last group of bandits, Alyssa was starting to feel the effect of the night of passion she had spent with Alistair, and felt like she was walking in a dream. Her dream-like state didn't escape him, and he briskly walked to her side and found her hand. "Feeling tired, my love?" he whispered into her ear.

"A little winded, nothing serious, my husband," she replied quietly with a smile playing on her lips. He smiled at the word ' husband' and squeezed her hand softly, his eyes not leaving her face for one moment.

They headed back to the market square and the Chantry board in silence to collect the money they had earned. The sister there informed them that Sergeant Kylon, who had put up the request on the board in the first place had been at his wits' end about these bandits and would probably like to thank them personally, so she gave them directions where to find him.

They walked around the square and headed to a back alley where they met a man from the Mages Collective who had other jobs for them as well, if Alyssa agreed to help out. She did and soon had plenty of jobs to do on the side.

"I guess we'll talk to Sergeant Kylon tomorrow. It's getting late and I imagine all of you are tired and hungry. She grinned. "We may be staying an extra day and night." She stole a glance at Alistair who grinned as well.

"If that is so, I'm changing my room to another one!" Zevran quickly protested. "I could not sleep at all with you two in the throes of passion last night. Maker's mercy, how do you manage to keep it up?" His question was directed at Alistair, who blushed a deep crimson, while Leliana dissolved into giggles. Wynne made a soft clicking noise with her tongue and shook her head.

They were still bantering and laughing as they headed out to the Gnawed Noble. Alistair's ears were now a bright red. Turning around a corner to get to the door, a knight stopped Alyssa in her tracks.

"You were with Duncan at Ostagar! I recognize you! You killed my good friend, King Cailan! I demand satisfaction, ser!" The knight practically shouted at her.

Everyone stopped talking and froze. Alistair took a step forward ready to take the knight down but Alyssa stopped him.

"Satisfaction?" she asked the knight.

"We will meet in the back alley behind the Gnawed Noble tavern for a duel."

Alyssa was tired, but she was incensed at the suggestion that they had murdered the king. "Very well," she said, her eyes narrowing, "if you wish to die, you will have your duel."

"Make peace with the Maker, ser. These are your last moments," the knight said ominously and ran off to the appointed place.

"Alyssa..." Alistair started but she stopped him from continuing by kissing him hard on the mouth.

"Nothing is going to happen my love. Don't worry!" she said fiercely and ran off to meet the knight while the others ran after her.

...

"Alistair, promise me you will not intervene, no matter what," Alyssa said quietly looking seriously into her husband's eyes. He shifted on his legs uncomfortably, and started to protest, but she cut him off. "This is important to me! Promise me!" she said a little louder this time.

"Alright, alright, I promise," he said, throwing up his hands in frustration. Zevran and Leliana promised to hold him back just in case. This only made Alistair swear and shake his head.

"You're insane, do you know that?" he said looking into her eyes.

She grinned before facing the knight. "I know," she said.

"Are you ready?" the knight called out. "I shall not take advantage of you."

"I am ready," she replied quietly as she heard Alistair hiss and curse under his breath.

The knight nodded. "Begin!"

He let out a war cry that swept Alyssa off her feet. On the ground, she closed her eyes and concentrated. She was quiet and calm, even though the knight would soon be standing over her and possibly running his sword through her.

"Is she hurt?" Alistair panicked. "Alyssa!" Zevran and Leliana held him back and Wynne gave a short cry. Suddenly, they saw her fling out her arms and out of nowhere a wolf materialized and attacked the knight before he could bring his sword down on her. This threw the knight completely off balance and he charged at the wolf instead.

Alistair started. _Maker's blood, she's a ranger too!_ He laughed and seemed more relaxed. Zevran and Leliana smiled and let go of him.

The knight was so busy keeping the wolf at bay, that he didn't notice Alyssa creeping up behind him, blades coated in deathroot poison and drawn. She attacked and delivered a critical backstab that stunned him on the spot. Before he could recover she twirled around and severed his head from his body.

The three men with Ser Landry, which was the fallen knight's name, told her that she had been a worthy opponent and that Ser Landry had died honorably, they bowed their heads respectfully and carried his body away.

Alyssa turned back to everyone and ran to Alistair's waiting arms. The wolf disappeared in the shadows. Alistair held her tightly and whispered something in her ear. She flung back her head and laughed heartily.

Zevran watched her closely and felt sparks in his stomach. The feeling, although not alien to him, took him by surprise. He gave himself a mental shake and turned to Leliana and started to quiz her about her life in the Chantry.

Alyssa led them all to a store called the Wonders of Thedas where she bought enchanting runes. A set of Master Rogue robes totally captivated her and she tried them on. They revealed a lot and covered less, but enough to leave something to the imagination.

When Alistair saw her dressed in the tight robes, his eyes nearly popped out of his head and his jaw dropped. Then he saw the way Zevran was looking at her, and tried to convince her to change back into her leather armor, but she informed him that she felt better with the robes. Alistair groaned and followed her out of the shop.

...

That night, after their baths and a session of love-making, Alyssa turned to her husband with bright eyes. "Uh, oh," he said. "What has gotten into your head now, I wonder?" He nibbled her ear and waited.

"Well, I was thinking..." she trailed her hand over his chest.

"Hmmm?" He started kissing her neck in the sensitive spot behind and below her ear and she giggled.

"Well, could you teach me how to touch you?" her eyes, dark and intense locked into his.

He grinned, took her hand and placed it on his penis. "Ready for your first lesson?"

She nodded and he showed her, and his erection came into full force once again.

_She's a quick learner! Maker! Her hands! _He groaned with pleasure and suddenly his eyes widened. She was kissing the tip of his penis and he had never experienced anything like_ that _before...

Suddenly, with one coy look at him, she took it in her mouth. He let out a grunt and held on to her head, hands burying themselves into her soft hair, eyes closing with pleasure. She continued to move her hand up and down his shaft, like he had taught her, while sucking the tip softly.

Encouraged by the sounds he was making, she started up a rhythm, up and down- and he rolled his eyes and flung his head back. "Maker's breath!" He cursed and groaned again. "I won't be able to hold it in much longer, you minx!" She laughed, still holding him in her mouth, and he moaned louder. Her excitement grew.

He managed to grab one of her breasts and massaged it, then pinched her nipple. She let out a cry and stopped what she was doing. He growled, pulled her on top of him, and put his hands on her hips, positioning her on top of his erect and quivering arousal. She lowered herself onto it and he felt it entering her completely and screamed out her name.

She started to move up and down, slowly at first, then picked up the pace as her excitement reached a peak. He shuddered and forced her down faster, grinding her to him. They were both reaching their climax, and their hips bucked in unison until he gave a final deep thrust, releasing himself, and at the same time she convulsed and her walls tightened around him.

Their world exploded into a series of lights and feelings that left them breathing heavily and bathed in sweat. She leaned over and kissed him and pulled out slowly which made him groan in disappointment. They held each other, and he stroked her hair and caressed her back while kissing her forehead. She smiled sleepily and he murmured soft words of love into her ear.

The day had been long and exhausting, so they fell asleep still holding each other closely.

In the next room, Zevran thanked the Maker he was finally able to get some sleep.


	17. Of Friendship and Lies

**Yes, I'm posting two chapters again, lol. **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 17 - Of Friendship and Lies

Alyssa frowned. She had been caught in an ambush again and she was angry at herself. Before her stood four rogues, three more in an overhead walkway behind an open staircase. They had arrived at this alley while completing a mages collective quest. Worse of all, she had been cut off from the rest because she had run faster, and now a large iron gate separated them from her. She heard Alistair scream her name, raw fear in his voice, and the clang his armor made as he threw himself at the closed gate. Wynne was telling him to stop so she focused on the rogues and started to move.

Her dancing steps paid off, in a few seconds she had neatly severed one of the rogues heads from his body and sliced another one across his stomach, and he fell to the ground bleeding to death. The other two circled around her, and she ran forward throwing herself to the ground and rolling to stand again before turning her attention to them. Wynne had thrown a fireball at the ones on the overhead walkway and she knew they had died instantly. She grinned and danced around the two that remained.

The gate opened and Alistair ran in recklessly and bashed his shield into the one nearest to her. She heard the sound the rogue's bones made as they cracked under the shield and saw him fall. The other rogue next to her vanished for a second as he quickly avoided her dagger, and reappeared moments later behind Alistair, she yelled out a warning but Alistair was too slow.

She watched horrified as the blades the rogue was holding started to fall towards his back and saw the rogue's eyes widen with surprise as he grunted. Zevran had appeared behind the rogue and had sunk one blade into his back and the other one in his neck. The rogue slid to the ground dead, and Zevran and Alistair faced each other, breathing heavily.

Nobody spoke. They had frozen in their positions, and Zevran and Alistair just blinked at each other. She could see Alistair's eyes widen as he realized that Zevran had just saved his life.

Before he had a chance to audibly thank him, Wynne gave a cry and crumpled in a heap on the ground, all the color drained from her cheeks. Alyssa gave a strangled cry and rushed to her, reacting first and beating Alistair and Zevran who recovered and ran behind her.

Wynne's eyes fluttered open and took in the concerned look on Alyssa's face, and her lips eased into a weak smile. She sat up dizzily and Alyssa held her hand. "Oh, dear," Wynne murmured. "I...fell..."

Alyssa started to breathe better and her hand tightened on Wynne's. "Are you alright?" She asked, fear and concern in her voice.

"For a moment there I thought...it was all...over..."

"Thought it was all over? What was over?" Alyssa's voice was harsh and curt. She was feeling outright scared now, and that made her be harsh, even though she didn't want to be.

"Everything." The finality in Wynne's voice frightened her even more, if that was possible. "I'm sorry...I'll...explain later when we are back at the inn, my dear. I'm fine now. Alistair could you help me up, please?"

Alistair quickly complied and held Wynne in his arms until she stopped swaying. His eyes also showed concern and fear and he wasn't letting her go until he felt she was alright.

"I'm fine, I really am! Don't fuss over me, dears," she patted his arm and Alyssa's shoulder gently. Zevran stood quietly behind eying the whole scene before him with that inscrutable blank stare of his. Nobody spoke.

After a while, Wynne's color had returned to her cheeks and Alistair let her go but hovered near her, ready to take her in his arms if she swayed again. Wynne, however, seemed to have fully recovered and they head back to the Mages Collective spot behind the market place to collect their money.

Leliana met them outside the Tavern. She said she had done some asking around and discovered that Brother Genitivi lived right across from the tavern.

"Ah!" Alyssa said triumphantly. "I guess we should check up on him. If Arl Eamon is as sick as that knight told us in Lothering, perhaps the ashes can cure him? Remember the note we gave to the knight? I read it and it mentioned this Brother Genitivi." Alyssa said to no one in particular, but Alistair grabbed her hand and squeezed it gratefully.

After a few minutes of looking into Alistair's eyes, she made a decision and said, "Well, then maybe the ashes are worth pursuing. Thanks Leliana, I knew I could count on your skills to find him." She smiled brightly at her and the bard beamed.

When they entered Genitivi's home, they saw a young dark-haired man in the middle of the room. He glanced at them and then eased his face into a smile. Alyssa tensed. The man's smile did not reach his eyes, and she sensed something was very wrong. She strode over to where he stood and eyed him again.

"Yes?" He asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Brother Genitivi, I assume?"

"No, I'm Weylon. Brother Genitivi's assistant. I haven't heard from him in weeks. I'm...sorry."

Ayssa's eyebrows shot up towards her hairline. "He's missing?"

"I'm afraid Genitivi's search for the urn may have led him into danger..." the man trailed off, eying Alyssa cooly.

"Why would his research put him in danger?" she demanded.

"I don't know. I tried to help when some knights from Redcliffe came asking for him and I sent them to where he was supposed to be, but the knights have disappeared just like Genitivi has..."

"How do you know the knights disappeared?" She asked suspicion lading her voice.

"Well, they haven't returned," the man stammered nervously, "and they sent no word either."

"Why would they send _**you **_word? Are you so close to the knights?" she shot back.

The man sighed, his nervousness clearly evident. "I - don't know," he stammered. "I just thought that with Genitivi missing, the same thing could have happened to...well, to them. I'm just so worried, I don't know what to think."

She changed the subject quickly. "Where did he go?"

The man, taken aback for a moment, answered, "No, don't ask me to tell you where he went. You would go after him too, and then..."

"I'm willing to risk it. Tell me."

"They went to an inn, where Genitivi is supposed to be. Near Lake Calenhad." He said slowly.

"Good. I'll head off for the inn immediately," Alyssa said. The man relaxed and Zevran cleared his throat somewhere behind her. She looked past the man and saw a closed door.

Her senses tingled. Something was very wrong. She started to walk towards the door, Alistair keeping his step beside her, followed by Wynne, Leliana and Zevran. The man shouted and made them stop in their tracks. They turned to look at him.

"No! You can't go in there!" He exclaimed.

"Why not?" Alyssa asked sweetly and Alistair at once knew what her tone meant, so he prepared himself to stand between them.

"It's full of papers and books, and I won't have you mess them up!" He shouted.

"I'm not going to mess them up," she answered keeping her voice even.

"I said no! Genitivi was...er...is a very private person." His voice rose.

She tensed, "You're hiding something, I want to know what it is..." Turning, she put a hand on the door latch and heard him scream, "No! Don't touch that door!" Alistair swore and swished out his shield in front of her in time to protect her from the electric bolt the man had flung at her. Before any of them had time to whip out their weapons however, the man fell dead on his feet as Wynne aimed an arcane bolt at him, killing him instantly.

Alyssa turned back to the door and opened it. The smell of decaying flesh hit their nostrils immediately. They advanced warily into the room and found the body of someone in a corner.

"Is that Genitivi?" Alistair asked worriedly. She shook her head.

"I think that's the real Weylon," she said quietly. Then they turned to a trunk which stood open against the wall. She rummaged inside until she found a journal. It was Genitivi's research journal. She read some of it and closed it with a satisfying grin. Then she turned to all of them and asked, "Anyone here ever heard of a town called Haven?"


	18. Planning Ahead

**A cute, short chapter, written solely to convey the love they feel for each other and the urgency about the whole Blight looming up on them...**

**Harmakhis, I'm so glad you are enjoying all the updates! Thanks again for your reviews! :D **

Chapter 18 - Planning Ahead

She sat in front of the campfire, a map of Ferelden spread before her. Looking at trails and towns marked by her, she frowned. The quill she had been holding slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground as she gazed into the flames before her and thought about their journey and what lay before them. Months had gone by since Ostagar, and much had happened, but she had still not found the Dalish elves and was feeling a bit tired and depressed as she needed their help.

Leliana smiled as she approached her, and whispered when she spoke, taking care not to disturb Alistair, who was sleeping next to Alyssa on his bedroll. Summer was nearly over but it was still warm enough to sleep out by the fire and Alistair had no intention of leaving her alone as she took her turn to watch the camp while the rest slept, so he had set his bedroll beside her before falling asleep.

"I just wanted to thank you again for all you've done for me," the bard said quietly. I finally realized that I'm a bard, not a Chantry sister, and thanks to you I'm free from Marjoline forever."

"My pleasure, Leliana. You are a treasured friend, you know this," Alyssa smiled up at the redhead.

"Well, I'll be heading into my tent. I know that it's Alistair's turn to watch the camp next, and Sten is just standing over there, so you are in good hands." She gave Alyssa a warm smile before disappearing into her tent.

Her thoughts turned back to the tasks they still had before them. She knew they were near the Brecilian Forest but still had yet to see any indication of the wandering elves that had successfully continued to elude them.

"Blast!" She said under her breath, and wondered if she had spoken too loudly as Alistair snuggled closer and muttered, "Mmm...love you." She listened intently, but heard only the rhythm of his steady breathing and relaxed.

_Ok...so we have to find the elves, which is taking more time than I thought it would. Then we have to set out to Haven and find this Brother Genitivi and the Urn of Sacred Ashes if possible. The knight we met in Lothering explained that they were looking for the ashes to cure the arl, after all. We haven't even been to Redcliffe, though...what if Eamon is already dead? _

She suppressed a shudder. It would not do to have these depressing thoughts. She gave herself a mental shake and thought it would be wise to stop at Redcliffe first, before heading out to Haven, just to find out how the arl was holding up.

She didn't want to give up her search of the Dalish elves even though she felt they had spent a long time walking around in circles because of Wynne also. Wynne had grown closer to her and had told her the reason why she had collapsed that day in Denerim after finishing off the rogues that had ambushed her. The reason had shocked her but had also made her realized how special this elderly lady was and what she meant to her.

Wynne was dying. She had died in the tower but was being kept alive by a spirit. She had told her that this spirit was the spirit of faith. Alyssa smiled softly. She remembered when Wynne had also told her that she was very happy about Alistair and her. She told her she was sorry for her earlier assessment of their relationship and then told her how happy she was they had gotten married.

Alyssa remembered how Wynne had also told her about her past and about Aneirin, an elf who had been her apprentice when she was younger and how this elf had escaped from the tower. Wynne had regretted how she had treated him. He had always spoken to her about the Dalish elves, and she was certain he had been killed by the templars who had been sent out to search for him.

Alyssa didn't agree with her, however. Somehow she was sure that Aneirin had found his way to the Dalish elves. The very same elves that now continued to elude them.

She sighed and Alistair stirred in his sleep again, this time flinging one of his arms over her lap and grasping her left thigh. She smiled and lightly touched and caressed his arm, while her eyes roamed over the camp catching Sten's huge figure as he marched around stoically guarding over them all.

She made up her mind. Even though a part of her wanted to get to the ashes, she knew that it would be more sensible to head to Redcliffe first.

_After we find the bloody elves. If we find them, that is. Well, we'll continue the search again tomorrow. If we don't find them after a couple of days, we'll head off to Redcliffe. _

Satisfied with her decision, she folded the map up neatly and turned to place it in her backpack behind her. Alistair opened his eyes and smiled at her sleepily. "Is it my turn to watch the camp now, love?" His speech was slurred and she smiled tenderly at him and shook her head, bending over to kiss him gently on the cheek. He smiled and closed his eyes, as he moved over to place his head on her lap and promptly fell asleep again.


	19. Big Bad Wolves?

**When I played the game and got to the Landsmeet, Alistair surprised me when he spoke out. I realized that he had changed and truly was able to lead, even though he didn't believe in himself. I'm making a point with this chapter, about how his being hardened involves Alyssa teaching him how to lead and make decisions earlier on in the story. He doesn't have to like it, however! *grins***

**R&R, please! *jumps up and down* R&R! :D **

Chapter 19 - Big Bad Wolves?

"Halt, outsider! You will go no further. The Dalish have camped in this area. I suggest you turn around and go elsewhere!" The female elf that uttered the angry words stood before them, bow raised, pointing an arrow at Alyssa's face. They all found themselves surrounded by a group of no less than seven elves, all pointing arrows at them. Alyssa smiled and saw the elf before her stiffen.

"Actually I've been looking for the Dalish."

The elven girl lowered her arrow slightly, momentarily surprised at her answer, but continued to glare at Alyssa. "What business would a group like yours have with us?" She demanded.

"I am a Grey Warden. I need to talk to your leader."

"A Grey Warden? And how do I know you are telling the truth?" The arrow had been put back into the quiver at the girl's back, the bow hung on her back as well.

"Many people go around pretending to be Grey Wardens, huh?" Alyssa grinned.

"You're right," admitted the girl. Then she sighed. "Very well, I will take you to the keeper. Follow me, though I suggest you keep your hands at your sides and remember that our arrows are still trained on you."

Of course once they had spoken to the keeper, who called himself Zathrian, they realized that they would have to do something in exchange for the Dalish elves' help against the Blight. Nothing was for free, right? She shook her head. Werewolves? Yeah, right.

The great white wolf that had brought the curse of the beast upon the elves was called Witherfang by Zathrian. He told Alyssa that if she could kill Witherfang and bring back his heart, he would possibly be able to get rid of the curse and cure his hunters, thus promising her aid with the Blight.

So now all they had to do was walk through the haunted and magical Brecilian Forest in search of Witherfang and kill it, and as if that wasn't enough, they still had to locate rare ironbark from a fallen tree trunk for Valendrian the Dalish smith and try to find another Dalish elf's wife Danyla, who had been infected with the curse and had gone missing.

Alyssa was slightly annoyed, for the lack of a better word. She groaned and turned to the group behind her. Alistair smiled down at her and she found herself feeling downright angry. He seemed to notice this and his smile slowly vanished.

"All right, everyone," she said as she squared her shoulders. "I think we'll have to set out to the Brecilian Forest soon. I'd like to look around some more first, if you all wouldn't mind..." she trailed off, and started moving in the direction of a group of elves who were all sitting around a campfire. Alistair caught up with her before she could reach her destination.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, concern etched all over his face.

"Yes, everything is fine," she said and he knew she didn't mean it. Nevertheless, knowing her the way he did, he didn't press for an answer. She sighed. "Thing about all this is that everywhere we go, we seem to have to solve everybody's problems. I'm all in for helping others, but...we _do_ have a Blight on our hands, and everything is taking so damn long to do!"

She sighed. "We still have to go to Redcliffe, and find out what's wrong with the Arl, before even considering about getting help to overthrow Loghain, so that's another problem right there. And if that wasn't enough, if the Arl is really that sick, we'll have to make yet another detour to find the sacred ashes, if they really even exist. Fortunately for us, they are on the way to Orzammar, I guess..." she lapsed into silence, feeling the tears of despair start building in her eyes.

Alistair said nothing but moved to take her in his arms where he held her, softly stroking her hair and kissing her head, murmuring words of love. She sighed in his arms and suddenly realized that instead of feeling better she was feeling worse. She stiffened and pushed back gently. Alistair frowned.

"I'm sorry, but we'd better get back to what we were doing," she said and shook her head. He didn't say anything, but continue to frown as he gazed down at her. She shook her head again and walked to the group gathered around the fire, the rest catching up to her.

She talked to the person seemingly in charge there, and was surprised at the sarcastic tone he used when he commented on how brave she was to head into the forest to save the elven hunters.

She sighed and waited until he stopped speaking, and felt grateful when another elf sitting nearby pointedly told him that they were trying to help and that he should be thanking them instead of treating them with such sarcasm. He apologized to them and asked them to join them. When they had all sat by the fire with the elves, she asked a question she had been wanting to ask ever since they found the Dalish.

"Have you ever heard of an elf called Aneirin?"

"You know Aneirin?" One of them answered her with a smile.

"If it's the same Anerin, yes, Wynne knows him," she smiled back.

Wynne protested stealing a grateful glance at Alyssa at the same time. "Thank you for trying to help but..."

"Ah," the leader of the group said, "That would make sense. Aneirin said he was from the human cities, yes?"

"Where is he? Is he here in camp?" Alyssa questioned.

"If you seek Aneirin, then you'll find him in the forest. That's where he is, among the trees and animals." The Dalish elf responded again, still smiling.

Wynne smiled softly. "Thank you all so much!"

Alyssa asked a few other questions about the werewolves and then she thanked them all and stood up, signaling the end of the meeting.

She squared her shoulders and turned to the group. "Ok, here's how we do this. All of us can't go into the forest. Wynne, Zevran, Sten and Alistair, you go find Witherfang and deal with the situation. Alistair, you'll be leading the group. The rest stay in the camp with me while we find ways to make ourselves useful."

Alistair blinked and before he knew it, the words spilled out of his mouth, babbling in his confusion.

"Why aren't you coming? What have I done wrong? I can't believe you are asking me to lead!"

The rest shifted uncomfortably in their places, looking away. Alyssa turned to him and looked at him sadly. "You've done nothing wrong. I just think it's better that you lead the group, that's all."

"I don't think you mean that."

"I assure you I do," she said calmly and a little coldly. "You know what you have to do, just do it."

When he looked into her eyes, they seemed cold and indifferent. Alistair felt himself flushing as anger crept up on him, and he spun around and walked away.

She felt all eyes on her, and shrugged, keeping herself calm and cool. On the inside she felt like she was tearing apart. _Why was she doing this? Ah, right, something about him not leading... She had to teach him that he had to believe in himself and that he could lead and now was better than later, even if she had to seem cold-hearted about it. _

She turned to Wynne. "Please keep an eye on him," she whispered.

Wynne smiled at her. "I know why you are doing this, even though he is angry and doesn't understand right now, I just wanted to tell you I think it's the right thing. He'll understand soon enough."

"I hope so," she said in a small voice. "I'm doing this for him. I hope he doesn't hate me after this."

"No, my dear. He will be fine." Wynne patted her shoulder. "He will understand and love you more for it."

As she watched them head into the forest, and saw Alistair's squared shoulders, she doubted Wynne's words. He hadn't even turned back once to look at her or said goodbye.


	20. Changes

Chapter 20 - Changes

He was very angry and did nothing to conceal his anger. Wynne knew it wasn't time to talk to him. So far they had encountered werewolves and found ironbark wood for the Dalish smith back at the camp. They hadn't a clue where to find this Witherfang and seemed to have been walking for hours. Zevran was also on his nerves with his constant innuendos directed at Wynne.

_If he mentions her magical bosom one more time_... Alistair's fists clenched and unclenched as he stood in front of what seemed to be a mist that stretched from one side of the path to the next.

"That doesn't look too inviting," Zevran said as he eyed the mist warily. "You really don't think we should walk through it?"

Alistair smirked. "I do, and we are. And you are going through first." He gave a bark of a laugh and pushed the elf in front of him, following him closely behind. The four of them blinked and found that they were right back where they started, the Dalish camp looming to view not far ahead.

"Andraste's flaming sword!" Alistair cursed and turned back, sighing as he did. "Well, we're going to go back to where we were, and we'll have to avoid that mist or any other mist in the future."

They trudged wearily through the forest, when they were ambushed by werewolves. Zevran danced around them and helped Alistair dispatch two, while Sten took the other two easily with his greatsword. Wynne stood behind, in a defensive position and waited.

Up ahead from where they were, Alistair could see another werewolf on one knee, breathing hard. They all approached it slowly.

"Please, help me," the werewolf panted heavily. "I'm not what I seem to be..."

"You look like a werewolf to me. This could be a trap for all we know," Alistair replied warily.

"You are human, I was once an elf."

"You were one of the clan who changed into a werewolf after the attack?" he questioned.

"You know of the attack? Then you have met my clan?"

"Your keeper, Zathrian, was the one that sent us here," Alistair answered.

"The keeper sent you? Then you seek Witherfang..." the werewolf breathed out.

"Yes, I do. Have you seen him?" Alistair saw that this werewolf was dying from its wounds. He started to feel very sorry for it.

"I have, but it is not what you think. All this is very wrong. Zathrian is...but I have no time to explain!" A howl of pain accompanied its words. "My name is Danyla. My husband is called Athras. I have been cursed. The scarf I wear, please take it back to the camp. Take it to my husband, and tell him that I love him. Tell him I am dead and with the gods, I beg you!"

"But you aren't dead!" Alistair interrupted, suddenly feeling sick with pity.

"I soon will be," Danyla answered. "You must finish it, before it is too late!"

"I can heal you!" Alistair turned to Wynne, and she shook her head, not meeting his eyes.

Danyla shook her monstrous head. "Magic cannot cure the curse. Please, end the pain! End it for me quickly!"

Alistair took the scarf. He blinked back tears of compassion that were threatening to fall. Then, in one swift movement, he took his dagger and plunged it deeply into Danyla's heart.

As she fell, Danyla cried, "Thank you! Thank you! Gods bless you..." She died.

Alistair stood there, head bowed for some time. Wynne put a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go dear. You did the right thing," she whispered.

Alistair let out a sigh and jerked his head up. He turned to Wynne and she smiled sweetly at him. He nodded and everyone resumed their silent march.

They met Aneirin along the way, and Wynne was overjoyed. She was finally able to tell this young elf that she was very sorry for the way she had treated him, for not being patient with him. Aneirin smiled and told her he had put it all past him and that she should too. He gave her an amulet and told her it was magical and it would help her. She thanked him and they hugged before they left his small camping area.

They eventually ran into powerful sylvan trees that were bewitched and attacked them. After battling them and killing them, Alistair announced that they were taking a break. The group sat around a small clearing and munched on some food. No one spoke.

They continued their march through the forest and came upon an oak tree that turned to life and greeted them. Alistair shook his head in disbelief. That the tree spoke to them surprised them but what was really mind blowing is that it spoke in rhymes.

The tree told them about an acorn that was stolen from him by a thief. It said that if they found this acorn and returned it, it would provide them with something to pass through the mist and trees into the center of the forest where Witherfang and the werewolf lair was. Alistair jumped at this opportunity and agreed to help the grand oak.

Eventually they arrived to another section of the forest that showed signs of a campfire and a tent. While they were examining this, a loud crack was heard and an old man appeared in front of them. Alistair never knew how, but he suddenly found himself playing a game with the old man. He knew that this was the man who had taken the acorn and also knew the man was a mage. As an ex-templar he could feel the man's magic practically oozing out of him.

The man said that if he asked a question he would get a question from him in return. If he answered a question he would get an answer from him.

After a while, Alistair grew tired of the game they were playing. He walked over to a tree stump. Curiosity took the best of him and he reached in and extracted something from it. It was an acorn, so he pocketed it and saw the man fling out his arms channeling powerful magic as he did so.

Alistair lifted his arms to the sky and drained the mage's mana before it could do more harm but he had already summoned a couple of demons to fight them. Wynne directed arcane bolts at the demons and Zevran and he danced around the mage, managing to kill him after a few minutes.

"Right, we have the acorn, we should set out and find the grand oak again, then we can finally get to the center of the forest and find out what is up," Alistair told them.

"Well, we have to kill this Witherfang, no?" Zevran asked. "That's what Zathrian told us we have to do."

"I don't know, there is something very wrong here. Remember Danyla? She mentioned that it wasn't what we thought. I think there is more to all this than meets the eye," he answered back thoughtfully. "If we can, I hope to speak to this Witherfang and listen to their side of the story."

"I don't know why you are doing this. Our orders were very clear," Zevran answered back.

Alistair's fists clenched. "Are you in charge here, or am I?" He stood very close to Zevran, slightly flushed.

Zevran shook his head and backed off. "You are of course, my dear Warden," he said smirking at him.

"Then let's see if we can get to the bottom of it."

Sten made it worse, if that was possible. He suddenly turned to Alistair and said, "Draw your sword."

"Why?" Alistair shot back at him quickly. "Are we under attack?"

"I want to see if you are fit to lead. How can you face the archdemon if you can't face me? Draw your weapon!"

"I don't have to prove anything to you! Now get back in line and let's go. And that," he added quietly, "is an order."

They started walking again, but not before Sten remarked, "So you do have a spine. Pity you don't use it as often as you should."

**A/N: There is more of this 'hardened' Alistair in the next chapter. How do you like him so far? :D **


	21. What, me lead?

**Harmakhis, your reviews really make my day! I'm so glad you are enjoying this! :D **

**Some smut/fluff ahead-ahem-M warning, just to be safe...*giggles* **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 21 - What, me lead?

As he stood in front of the Lady of the Forest, who commanded the werewolves and heard the whole story, he suddenly understood. He knew that she was right.

He had to get Zathrian to lift the curse. This was why the werewolves had ambushed the Dalish in the first place, they wanted to spread the curse to the Dalish elves, in hopes that their keeper would finally lift it. Zathrian had, in fact, been the creator of the curse several centuries ago. It was thanks to him that they were in this predicament.

There were other things he understood also. He knew why Alyssa had sent him out here.

Suddenly he wished fervently he hadn't reacted the way he had two days ago when they had separated and she had sent him into the forest to search for Witherfang. He felt his love for her grow and threaten to make his heart burst.

He also knew, then and there, that he had married a remarkable woman. He wanted to see her, to hold her in his arms and to beg forgiveness for having doubted her, for having given in to anger, instead of realizing that she was doing this for him.

He now knew what it felt like to lead and what she felt when she had to make the decisions. And he knew what she went through in order to make them.

He looked up at the Lady of the Forest and nodded. "Very well, I shall bring Zathrian,"

He was aching to take her in his arms, thinking that they had to go all the way back to the Dalish camp to get Zathrian. As it turned out, he was wrong. Zathrian was waiting for them at the entrance of the underground ruined temple.

"Ah, and here you are already," he said to Alistair.

"What are you doing here?" Alistair asked unthinkingly.

"I just wanted to make sure you arrived here safely, of course."

"You mean you wanted to make sure that we got the heart," Alistair replied feeling slightly annoyed.

"Yes, did you?"

"No, I didn't. And before you ask me why, I'll tell you. I've been sent to bring you back to the Lady of the Forest."

"Ah!" Zathrian gave him a bright smile. "And what would she want with me?"

"She won't summon Witherfang unless you break the curse," Alistair answered quietly.

"You understand that she actually is Witherfang? The curse came first from her-"

"The curse came first from you," Alistair interrupted.

Zathrian went on to tell him that they were beasts that didn't deserve to be defended. That he would go with him, then help him kill her and take the heart. Alistair looked at him sadly. "I'm not going to help you do that," he said.

"If you don't help me get the heart, then my hunters are not cured and you get no assistance against the darkspawn!"

"Do you still have so much hatred for them? After all this time?" Alistair asked him wearily.

"You were not there! You did not see what they did to my son, to my daughter! You are not Dalish! How could you know what we suffered and what we have to suffer in order to survive?"

"But, it is your own people that are suffering now! Don't you care about your clan? I assure you that the werewolves have regained their minds. All I ask is that you come with us and speak to them and to the Lady of the Forest."

"You wish me to go speak to her? Very well, I will. But what if it is more revenge that they seek? Will you safeguard me from harm?"

"We will, unless you attack first," a voice Alistair knew and loved said in the shadows behind Zathrian.

Alyssa and Leliana stepped out into the center of the ruined temple where they were standing. She stood beside Alistair and smiled up at him. He smiled back at her tenderly and lovingly and took her hand and squeezed it gently.

"Very well," Zathrian said, and sighed. "It has been many centuries. Let us see what the spirit has to say."

They all turned and walked down to the chamber where the Lady of the Forest stood waiting for them.

Alyssa kept quiet through the whole thing. She saw how well Alistair handled the situation and her heart swelled with pride.

...

Zathrian turned to Alistair and angrily said, "See? They turn on you just as quickly! Do what you have come here to do, Grey Warden or get out of my way!"

"I don't care Zathrian, I won't help you do this," Alistair shook his head.

"We're standing for what is right here, no matter what!" Alyssa said as she looked at Alistair proudly. Alistair grinned.

Next thing they knew, the whole chamber had turned into a battleground. Zathrian was a very powerful blood mage, but they fought the sylvan trees and after Alistair had cleansed the area and drained him of his mana, the fight turned in their favor.

When they had defeated Zathrian, he surrendered and they all stood by quietly as he talked to the Lady once more. Alistair persuaded him to end the curse. "Think about your clan! Would you let them die for this?"

When Zathrian finally ended the curse, he died, as his spirit was keeping the curse alive. The Lady also passed and the werewolves changed into men and women before their very eyes. They thanked Alistair and the rest of the group and ran off.

Alistair turned to Alyssa, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. "Thank you so much, my love," he murmured as he took her in his arms.

Alyssa sighed and held him close. "Thank the Maker you are alright. I followed Zathrian here. I was so worried. You'd been gone for two days!" Then they kissed each other.

"Well, we'd better head back to the camp and explain what happened to Lanaya. She was Zathrian's apprentice, so I suspect she will be keeper now," Alyssa murmured in between kisses.

Wynne chuckled and Alyssa turned to look at her, still in Alistair's arms. She gave Alyssa an 'I told you so' look as they all walked out of the chamber back to the Dalish camp.

...

They got no sleep that night, but didn't care about feeling tired the following morning. They were together, they were in love and they were pleasuring themselves. They groaned, licked, kissed and tossed and turned on their bedrolls, melting into each other's arms, reaching to the sky and beyond. They felt spent and tired as dawn approached.

Alistair looked into her eyes, hazel into violet - love, tenderness and lust bound together tightly. His adoration for her knew no boundaries. He vowed to himself that he would never doubt her word again for as long as they lived. Then he promised this to his love, and she smiled sweetly at him, proud of him, proud of what he was becoming: a true leader of men.

It was this thought that kept her smiling all day as they trekked towards the village of Redcliffe.


	22. Redcliffe

Chapter 22 - Redcliffe

The red cliffs that gave Redcliffe its name came into view, and waterfalls dotted the view before them as the water raced through the various watermills along the way. They were walking hand in hand and would steal glances at each other from time to time.

Leliana walked behind them singing softly under her breath. Zevran ran up to walk beside Leliana, who merely acknowledged his presence with a slight nod and continued to hum to herself. Wynne walked behind them and Sten and Morrigan were not far behind. Pawn trotted along the path, not far from where Alyssa and Alistair walked. They felt a cool autumn breeze blow around them, which signaled colder nights and days ahead.

They reached a bend in the road, and saw a man on a bridge near the entrance to Redcliffe itself and quickened their pace to meet him. Alyssa and Alistair were the first ones to reach him. He introduced himself as Thomas, and proceeded to babble out news that was most disturbing.

"Thank the Maker! Are you here to help us?" Thomas said gratefully.

"What do you mean? Are you in trouble?" Alyssa queried worriedly.

"Haven't you heard?" Thomas demanded.

"We've heard the Arl was ill, if that is what you mean..."

Thomas interrupted and told them the arl could be dead for all they knew. He said that they hadn't heard from the castle in days, and that they were under attack every night from things that came from the castle. Alyssa and Alistair shot glances at each other.

"I'll take you to Bann Teagan," Thomas said breathlessly.

"Bann Teagan? The Arl's brother? He's here?" Alistair asked.

"Yes, let me lead the way..."

They all followed Thomas down the winding path through the hills that surrounded the village till they came upon the Chantry. Thomas took them inside and to a man who was talking to a villager. His blue eyes finally rested on the group before him and recognizing Thomas he asked who these people were.

Alistair wasted no time to make himself known. He grinned when Teagan embraced him, happy to see that Alistair was alive. Then he directed his attention at Alyssa, whose beauty caused him to stare and stutter. "Is this lovely companion of yours a Grey Warden as well, Alistair? Is it possible we've met? You look very familiar..."

"You may have known my father, Teyrn Cousland," Alyssa replied smiling up at him.

Teagan nodded, "Of course! I wish this meeting could take place under different circumstances, my lady," he said. Alistair frowned.

"You've come to see my brother? I'm sorry but no one has been able to get into the castle for months. And now we're under attack. Undead things come from the castle each night and our numbers have dwindled considerably since these attacks started a week ago. I'm afraid tonight's attack will be especially fierce. I almost hate myself to ask, Alistair, but can you and the people traveling with you help us?"

Alyssa immediately said they would love to help out, and Teagan turned his eyes on her again, smiling. His gaze took in her figure as he looked at her intently and she blushed.

Alistair didn't like the way he was looking at her and stepped forward.

"My wife and I will assess the situation. Who do we have to speak to in the village, Teagan?"

Teagan's eyes widened at this, but he quickly regained his composure. "Murdock, the mayor, is in charge here outside the Chantry. And Ser Perth and his knights are up the hill, next to the mill," he answered. "Thank you Alistair, you have no idea what this means to me," he added sincerely.

Alistair smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder. Then he turned to Alyssa and they all turned to head out of the Chantry.

On their way out, they met one of the villagers, a sweet girl named Kaitlyn who was crying about her younger brother that had run off somewhere. Alyssa told her not to worry, that they would find her brother. Stepping outside, Alyssa frowned. "Undead?" she asked. "How could this have happened?"

"A mage could be behind all this," Wynne replied. "But who could be responsible for such a thing?"

They talked to Murdock and discovered that the town militia was at its wits' end, for the only smith had locked himself in the smithy and was denying them the repairs on their weapons and armors.

Alyssa then asked if he needed anything else, and he told her about Dwyn, a dwarf, who was a warrior and lived near the lake. He had tried to convince the dwarf to join their ranks and help with the fighting but the dwarf had refused and locked himself in his home.

Alyssa quickly decided that Alistair, Sten, Morrigan and Pawn should walk around to see if they could find Bevin, Kaitlyn's brother, and then take care of the dwarf, while she walked further along the way with the rest. Alistair nodded and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before leaving. She turned and walked the other way, and opened doors to abandoned houses. One of them led to the once general store, now covered in dust. She saw barrels of oil in one corner and smiled to herself. Then she made her way to the smithy.

When Owen, the village smith, told her about his daughter, Valena, who was in the castle and had not been heard of since the attacks started, she found herself promising that she would find her, thus convincing the smith to make the repairs for the militia.

Taking care of that problem, she trudged up the hill, and found a path winding to a lone house on the left. She discovered that this was the village inn, and soon was talking to Bella, the innkeeper's servant. She inquired about an elf who was sitting in the shadows drinking. She said that he was there to meet his brother, but then the attacks had started and he hadn't left the village. Alyssa found this strange, so she approached the elf.

After talking to the elf, and discovering that he had been hired to spy on Redcliffe and the castle, Alyssa felt both annoyed and suspicious. Annoyed because Howe himself was the one who had hired the man, and what even made her angrier was the confirmation that he was in alliance with Loghain. She turned this to her advantage when she told the elf, whose name was Berwick, to fight for Redcliffe. Not wanting to test the wrath of a Grey Warden, Berwick quickly agreed and left to report to Murdock.

They reached the mill where the knights were stationed. Alyssa waited for Alistair and his group to show up before she talked to Ser Perth, who was in charge of the knights. Alistair arrived and they hugged. He told her he had secured Dwyn to fight. He had also found Bevin and made sure that he was with his sister before heading up the hill to the mill to meet her. She grinned at him and they walked hand in hand to Ser Perth, who was waiting for them.

"Greetings, Grey Warden," Ser Perth saluted, then added, "I must confess, I do not know what to call a lady like you, and I do not wish to be disrespectful."

"Call me Grey Warden, if you please, for that is what I am," Alyssa replied smiling at him.

"Grey Warden it is, and thank you kindly," the knight replied.

They talked for a while and Alyssa immediately told him about the oil she had discovered in the general store. She turned and gazed up the hill, which led up to the path to the castle, and suggested they use the oil to set fire to the monsters as they ran downhill to them. She saw that the path was not very wide, and hoped this would slow the undead.

Ser Perth loved this idea and ordered the men to bring up the barrels of oil. They would shoot fire arrows at the oil trap set on the path, when the undead were near, and this would help them in the fight.

When Alyssa asked him if there was anything else he needed, he said that nothing else, though he confessed his men would feel better if they had holy protection for the night and asked if she would be so kind as to speak to the Revered Mother about this. Alyssa smiled and agreed, but promised nothing.

Then she started to walk up the path and to a wooden gate that had been placed across the road, past this gate was the direct path to the bridge that led directly to the castle. Satisfied with what she had seen, she then walked down the hill and made her way down to the valley below where the Chantry stood in the middle of the town square. Alistair followed her, and the rest stayed by the mill waiting for their return.

Once in the Chantry, she made a beeline for the Revered Mother and told her what Ser Perth needed. The Revered Mother told her that she could not give Ser Perth what he wanted, as he wanted direct holy protection from the Maker himself, and she would not lie about that.

Alyssa reflected on this, and agreed with her, in spite of Alistair's protests on the matter. She squeezed his hand, and glanced at him lovingly, and he fell silent, finally relenting. Then Alyssa asked the Revered Mother for her blessing and they knelt as she blessed them.

They made their way back to the mill, now arm in arm, a quick look at the sun told them it was late in the afternoon.

After telling Ser Perth that the Revered Mother could not assist him the way he wanted, they gathered with their group, and ate while they waited for the sun to set.

Alyssa positioned her group and gave them orders. Sten, Zevran, Pawn and Morrigan would be below, in the town square with Murdock and his men. She gave Morrigan several lyrium packs and told them that they had to protect the villagers at all costs. They nodded and head down to the appointed place.

She stayed with Ser Perth and the knights, and was surprised to see Dwyn and his men there with them. She talked to Wynne, and gave her lyrium packs as well. Then she walked to where Leliana was and gave her an extra quiver of fire arrows as they got ready for the battle. She also talked to Ser Perth and told him to make sure he and his men stayed in their positions. She did not want anyone rushing into the fire trap that was meant for the undead.

She then went uphill and busied herself with Zevran laying out simple barbed wire traps that would cause the undead to stumble and hopefully fall into the fire trap below. Once satisfied she went down the hill to where Alistair was standing by the mill, where the lake and the castle could be seen in the distance. The view was breathtaking.

"Once we enter the castle, you must show me your room, I'd love to get a glimpse of where you lived as a boy," she said softly to him.

Alistair shifted uncomfortably in his place and took her hand. "I- I didn't have a room...I slept in the stables."

Alyssa stood there, unable to say anything for a few minutes. He felt her anger bubbling over, and moved to take her in his arms, but she brushed him away.

"What? You're telling me that when you lived here as a child, you slept _in the stables_? I can't believe this!" She finished angrily.

"It's alright. I was better off than most orphans, and the hay was sweet and clean. The horses and oxen kept me warm in the winter, too."

She stared at him, not believing what she was hearing. He actually was grateful for the way he had been treated as a child!

Suddenly, it all made sense to her. The way he asked for permission to do things, his constant doubting and second-guessing himself. He had obviously felt unwanted and rejected by everyone. After all, he had been told he was just a bastard. How could Eamon and Isolde have done this to him?

"You were not an orphan," she shot back at him. "You were the son of the king! They had no right to do this to you!"

"Eamon made me feel welcome, he was very kind to me!" Alistair answered, still defending his surrogate father. "Isolde resented me, but that's understandable, she honestly thought I was Eamon's bastard son and-"

She cut him off, speaking softly but still so angry she was breathing heavily. "No, Alistair. I can't believe you think that being kind is letting _a child_ grow up in a stable! We did _not_ do those things in Highever! No children slept in stables, my father made sure everyone was well kept and lived in homes! And Eamon knew you were King Maric's son, so I don't understand how he could have done this to you. In fact, he actually _told_ _you_ you were Maric's son!"

"He had to keep me well hidden from the rest of the nobles, he couldn't adopt me, he couldn't raise me without risking their talking behind his back, and I was a threat to the crown-"

"UGH!" She yelled, causing both the knights and the people in her group to turn to look at them curiously, then she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Are you even listening to what you are saying? A threat to the crown? When they made it perfectly clear that you were not entitled to it? How could they have done this to you?" She huffed and started to pace up and down, clenching her fists, her face red and hot.

Alistair looked at her and his eyes widened. He felt himself getting aroused in spite of the seriousness of the situation as he gazed at her face and body, his erection throbbing against his armor. She looked so damn _sexy_! And she was angry at them because she thought they had hurt him! Him! No one he had ever known had reacted this way, so protectively. Not even Duncan. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

"Please calm down, my love," he murmured into her ear, stroking her hair. Her scent and heat enveloped him and he trembled, feeling the warmth spreading through his body. She stiffened and then relaxed, her body melding into his while he kissed her. The knights and everyone else around turned their backs, giving them their privacy and continued their small talk.

They eventually stopped kissing and stood there looking at the view. He had his arms around her and was nuzzling her neck, showering it with light, feathery kisses. When the sun went down, he looked down at her and kissed her gently, then murmured that he loved her.

They took their positions and waited for the undead to come.

**A/N: Dear, sweet Alistair. It seems that it is difficult for him to accept the truth. Ten years of brainswashing have damaged him indeed. But Alyssa will not accept this and will probably do something about it, right, right? *grins* **

**I'm a bit 'biased': I really disliked Eamon and Isolde in the game, lol **

**Thanks so much for your review, Harmakhis! Yay! :D **


	23. Living Dead

**Some smut 'n mature content towards the end of the chapter, so get ready! :P**

**Harmakhis, as always, your review is most appreciated! Thanks! *does happy dance***

**To those of you who have included this story in their favorites and are reading it, thanks SO much! :D **

**The zombies are coming! LOL! **

Chapter 23 - Living Dead

Alyssa had been scanning the bridge, darkly outlined against the moonlit sky, so she saw them first, a sickly greenish light that crossed the bridge signaling their approach.

She quickly yelled out her orders. "Knights, take the rear. Under **no** circumstances are you to advance. Leave the undead to us. You may finish off any stragglers that head into your line of defense directly. We will be near the traps. When you see them start falling into the barbed wires, light the fire trap behind us! Wynne, get ready. Leliana, get your fire arrows ready! Alistair, are you ready to kick some undead arse?"

She grinned up at him, and without waiting for his reply, sprinted up the hill and stood between the barbed wire traps and the fire trap, her dagger and sword out, her body tense and waiting for them to show. Alistair stood beside her, his shield and sword out as well, a half-smile playing on his lips.

The fight in itself was easy, too easy, as the traps did their work, and the first undead stumbled and fell against the barbed wire. The undead did not think at all, so soon putrid bodies lay before them, and the rest were bottlenecked, making it easy for Alistair and Alyssa to continue hacking into them, cutting them down.

The few that managed to pass ran into the fire in the trap ahead, where Leliana and Wynne finished them off. None of them ran ahead to where the knights were. Wynne alternated from sending rejuvenating bolts to Alistair and Alyssa to keep their stamina high, and shooting minor arcane bolts to keep the undead from advancing onto them.

Soon, they stopped coming altogether, and the knights broke into cheers behind them as Alistair and Alyssa broke into grins and trotted down to where the rest were.

Their victory was short lived, however. A messenger suddenly appeared and babbled out that the undead were attacking the villagers below, in the town square, and that they needed their help.

Alyssa urged the rest to run behind her quickly, while she told the knights to stay and guard the path on the hill. The sight that met their eyes was absolute mayhem. Even though Morrigan, Zevran, Sten and Pawn had managed to keep the villagers alive, the undead were still advancing upon them.

They met their companions and tore into their ranks, cutting heads and limbs in the process and fought like they never had before.

The fight took very long, the waves of undead were still coming from the lake. Alyssa felt herself growing tired and shook the feeling off, cutting off another head quickly before meeting the next putrid body.

Alistair fought at her side, and his shield was lashing out so fast that it seemed to have a life of its own. Leliana rapidly aimed and shot, till she was out of fire arrows and resorted to the normal ones. Morrigan was stunning the waves of undead with her mind blast spell, so the rest could hack into them, and sending off freezing spells to the ones that came behind the stunned ones, buying them time.

The first rays of dawn finally pierced through the night and their numbers began to dwindle. The villagers cheered when they saw they were winning and she turned to smile at Alistair, only to find him gone.

She frantically searched for him, and found him lying in a pool of blood behind her. She quickly killed the undead that was hacking at him and fear gripped her heart as she screamed for Wynne.

Wynne knelt before him and Alyssa moved out to give her space, and continued to fight the remaining undead.

Murdock and the rest of the villagers were still alive and fighting along with the rest of her companions. Then it was finally over, as the last of the undead were dispatched and she turned to Wynne who was still busy assisting Alistair's still form on the ground.

Alyssa felt her throat tighten as she held her breath waiting for his eyes to open. When the flesh knit and his wounds had been completely healed, Alistair opened his eyes and looked into Wynne's gentle blue ones.

He smiled wanly, his eyes searching for Alyssa who promptly knelt beside him. "Don't move, my darling. We're going to start moving the bodies away from here. Just stay and rest, please," she murmured, fear still in her eyes as she took his hand and squeezed it before she left.

He complied and watched her move away, and suddenly wondered what he had done to have this formidable woman in his life. He still found his mind blown away by the mere fact that she had chosen him, wanted him and loved only him. He smiled and closed his eyes, feeling the healing and soothing power of Wynne's spells hit him and dozed off.

When he awoke, he found himself lying in a cot in the Chantry, Alyssa and Teagan talking not far, while the some of the villagers were washing up and getting ready to catch some rest.

Alyssa felt him stirring and ran to his side, taking his hand into hers. His armor had been removed and he felt cleaner. Someone must have washed away the blood and grime, and he knew who that someone was, and smiled up to her. She kissed him gently and caressed his cheek, her long slender fingers swiftly fluttering to and fro over his face.

"How do you feel?" She murmured.

"I feel fine, really," Alistair mumbled. "I'm hungry and thirsty though," he added wistfully.

She laughed and Teagan called to one of the villagers who brought him some food and water. He sat up and ate and drank heartily, his eyes never leaving her face as she sat on the ground beside his cot, looking up at him. Teagan cleared his throat. "It's good that you are finally awake," he said as he smiled down at Alistair.

"How long have I been out?" Alistair said between mouthfuls of food.

"All day, but you needed to rest," Alyssa answered him.

"A whole day? Wow!" He shook his head.

"There is more to do, but we can speak about this tomorrow morning. There are rooms at the back of the Chantry. We have distributed them among your companions who are already in their rooms, preparing for the night, but I left one for you two. As soon as you are able, you can go to your room and rest. We'll need a good night's sleep for our task is not done," Teagan finished, a worried frown replacing the smile on his face.

Alistair nodded silently and slowly stood up, swaying slightly on his legs. Alyssa stood beside him, holding out her hands, ready to catch him in case he stumbled. He gently pushed away her hands, and shook his head. "It's alright," he said softly. "Just a little dizzy."

...

When they reach the room, she draws a hot bath for him, and despite his protests, undresses him.

It is she who lathers and washes him, she who lovingly caresses his scars, and he feels himself drowning with desire.

She steps into the tub with him and he washes her, his hands lathering her and slowly touching her until she moans passionately.

They dry themselves and head for the bed where they fall, their hands restlessly moving, roughly touching and worshipping at the same time...

Then, they are one, and they climb towards their climax while their mouths devour each other.

When they climax, their hands gently touch, and their bodies slowly relax.

He is on top of her, breathing down her neck as he whispers his love for her, his hot breath blowing her hair gently, his arms enveloping her, while moving out slowly, taking his place beside her, spooning her, as they both catch their breaths.

Exhaustion and sleep claim them and they drift off into the Fade, smiles playing on their lips.

Undead, darkspawn and Blight are all forgotten, and they dream.


	24. The Horror in the Castle

**Not one of my favorite chapters. Have written this and edited and rewritten it three times already. Ah, well...it could be cause I don't really enjoy this part of the game, lol**

**Hope you like it anyway! :D **

Chapter 24 - The Horror in the Castle

Alyssa and her companions made their way up the hill to the mill, where Teagan stood waiting for them. He was looking at the castle.

"There is a way into the castle here at the mill," he said. "There is a trapdoor inside and it opens with my signet ring. The trapdoor leads into a tunnel under the lake and into the cellar of the castle."

"Why did you wait to tell us this?" Alyssa asked, feeling slightly annoyed.

"You would have gone into the castle instead and I needed warriors to help the villagers fight last night. I'm sorry if I-Maker's breath!" He pointed to a female figure who ran up to them, a guard following closely.

She knew this could only be Isolde, and she stiffened. Alistair cleared his throat and put a hand on her arm. He could feel her dislike for the woman and his touch rather than calm her annoyed her slightly.

Isolde was focused on Teagan, asking him to return to the castle with her. Alyssa found herself challenging the stupid woman, asking why he had to go with her alone. Isolde bristled and demanded to be told who she was. Before she could answer her, Alistair interrupted, "You remember me, Lady Isolde, don't you?"

Isolde's eyes narrowed, and she snarled her reply at him, which in turn incensed Alyssa even more. She controlled herself and her urge to slap the woman while Teagan let Isolde know that they were both Grey Wardens and had saved their lives.

She apologized to them then, and turned back to Teagan, brushing off the Wardens and their companions, intent only on convincing him to go back to the castle with her. Teagan relented after a short while, and after agreeing to go back with her, asked her to please leave them because he had to speak to the group alone. He waited for her to be out of earshot and spoke, looking at Alyssa as he did so.

"Here's what I propose: I go back with Isolde, and you and your group enter the secret tunnel. Perhaps I will manage to distract whatever evil is inside and increase your chances of getting in unnoticed. I know you think this is a trap, and maybe it is, but it is my family in there. I have to go with her. Ser Perth and his men as well as any of your companions you do not take with you can wait at the castle gates until you open them to help you. I don't think there is anyone else that can help you in the village. Whatever you decide to do, once you reach the castle, please remember that Eamon is the priority here. Isolde, Connor, and myself, we are expendable. Just get Eamon to safety..."

"I don't believe that. I'll save you all, I promise."

"You're a good woman. The Maker smiled upon me indeed when he sent you to Redcliffe," Teagan murmured.

"So we are just going to send him with that...that woman?" Leliana protested. "It seems so dangerous!"

Teagan jerked his head up, resolve and determination in his eyes and body. "But I can delay no longer. Allow me to bid you farewell, and good luck."

And he left. Everyone looked at Alyssa. She shook her head slightly and sighed. "Well, we all heard him. Wynne and Morrigan, I think you two should come with Alistair and me. I have a feeling we'll be needing more magic on this trip. The rest of you will have to go with Ser Perth and his men. As soon as we can we'll open the castle gates for you to come in and help us"

They all nodded at this. "Well, let's get a move on. We have work to do."

The small group walked into the mill and spotted the trapdoor. She placed the signet ring on an indentation in its center and heard it click. Alistair pulled it open and the four of them stared into the dark hole below them.

Alistair went down first, finding a set of stairs going down. Reaching the floor, he groped around him as his hand touched the walls. He found a torch in a bracket and asked Morrigan to light it. The witch complied and they finally were able to see in front of them where the tunnel gaped darkly ahead.

At the end they made out a door and walked to it. Alistair set the torch on the bracket beside the door and Alyssa opened it. She could see that they were in some sort of prison chamber, cells and cages scattered here and there. Nobody spoke till Alistair said, "I locked myself in a cage here once, when I was a child. For an entire day...Ah! Good times!" He chuckled and the tension lifted slightly.

Alyssa coated her blades with deathroot poison and opened another door in front of her. They stood mesmerized at the scene before them, as three undead hacked at someone behind bars in a cell.

Morrigan shot a freezing bolt at them and two of them froze when the bolt reached them, and the third one noticed them and ran toward them, mace lifted as it attacked. Alistair quickly bashed his shield into it, and it screamed. Then Alyssa cut off its head.

When they finished off the other two, they stood in front of the cell, and saw a mage there who demanded to be told who they were.

"I'll ask the questions here," Alyssa bristled and the mage fell silent.

Upon questioning him, they found out that his name is Jowan, and that he was the mage that Isolde hired for Connor, who had started to show signs of being a mage. Isolde had panicked and sought out an apostate from the circle to tutor Connor.

Alistair could not believe what he was hearing and he shook his head at the news. He protested even further upon learning that Jowan was a blood mage.

Wynne had heard about his escape from the Circle and told Jowan that he thought he was dead. Jowan explained that it was Loghain and his men that had rescued him from the templars, and had sent him to Redcliffe. _So, why send a mage to Redcliffe?_ Alyssa found herself wondering.

According to Jowan, Isolde's husband hadn't known that hiring the mage had been to teach Connor in secret, and she believed this. Somehow, she _knew_ that Isolde kept her husband in the dark about a lot of things.

Jowan pleaded for her to let him go because he wanted to desperately make it right. She wavered, considering that maybe he could help them out. However, she didn't want to upset Alistair any further, he was already looking at the apostate with venom in his eyes.

When Jowan actually confessed to poisoning Eamon, she made a decision. She would keep him in his cell until he was needed. That would have to do for now. She knew that he wasn't responsible for the walking undead. She believed him when he told her this. She didn't even believe him to be as dangerous as Alistair or Wynne thought him to be. He was trapped in a cell, had been arrested by Isolde and had let three undead attack him. How powerful could he really be?

She moved away and onwards, and spotted a staircase leading up.

They still fought more undead and continued to move on, climbing the stairs that led them to the servants quarters. They were out of the cellar but still had to continue to look for a way into the main hall.

After fighting with more undead and some half-crazed mabari hounds in another room, they found themselves in a hallway. Alyssa disabled a fire trap ahead and then began opening doors.

Each door she opened brought forth more undead until she reached the last door in the hallway and was surprised to find a girl cowering in a corner before her. She identified herself as Valena, the smith's daughter. Alyssa was relieved to have found her and told her how to find the tunnel that would lead her back to the mill to safety. Valena thanked her and ran off, anxious to be with her father again.

Once they dealt with the last of the undead in a room, they found another staircase leading down to a basement, and from there another one leading up to the courtyard at last.

Before she could reach the lever that opened the gates, they were attacked by more undead and a revenant. They fought and killed everything readily enough and finally were able to open the gates to let the rest through. Then they went up the stairs and into the main hall where the sight that met their eyes made them freeze in their tracks.

Teagan was dancing and jumping up and down as if controlled by unseen strings. Before him, a young boy stood with a cruel expression in his eyes, clapping at Teagan's antics.

Isolde stood beside them, an expression of grief and pain etching her face. The soldiers behind them stood straight with blank stares. The boy seemed to control them all, and Alyssa advanced slowly upon the scene with everyone else following closely behind. The boy had Teagan stop, as he waved him away when he realized that a group of people had entered the hall.

His voice was booming at Isolde, and Alyssa realized with dismay that this boy, who could not have been more than ten, was possessed.


	25. The Templar Within

**Our favorite Chantry/would-be Templar boy...hmm...**

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 25 - The Templar Within

She sat at a desk, alone, far from the rest that were assembled in the main hall waiting for her. For her decision. She groaned and closed her eyes, mentally replaying what had just taken place there. The boy, Connor, was possessed most certainly by a demon. He had controlled Teagan and commanded the six guards and Teagan to attack them and they had fought and won.

Connor-abomination had then fled the room, and Teagan was no longer under the demon's control. Then, as they deliberated on what had to be done, Isolde had asked Teagan to bring Jowan from the dungeons.

That's when things had gotten even more difficult as Jowan had proposed they use blood magic to cure the boy. A mage would be sent into the Fade to battle the demon that held Connor there, and free the boy, but in doing so a life had to be taken in order for the blood magic to work.

Isolde had offered herself up as a sacrifice to save her only son, and even though Alyssa disliked her, she could not bring herself to agree to this. She had excused herself, asking for some time to decide what had to be done.

When she had stepped into the room next to the main hall, the armor displays there had come to life and everyone had rushed to her aid. Once that was over, she had separated herself from the rest and had come into this room to think things over.

She sighed and thought about Alistair. He had been a Templar. There was no way that he would approve of a blood magic ritual to take Isolde's life in order to save the boy. This was keeping her from accepting Jowan's offer. Then there was the fact that she had promised Teagan that she would save them all.

Her brow furrowed in thought and her eyes fell on a half-opened drawer. Something shiny glinted at her and she grabbed it to see it better. The symbol of Andraste winked back at her. She remembered Alistair describing an amulet just like this one. It had been shattered, and the one she held in her hand had been glued together. She put it in her pocket and heard footsteps approaching the room.

She waited but knew who it was, the taint in him pulled at her before he made his appearance.

He stood at the door looking down at her, concern and love in his eyes. She sighed and he strode over to where she was and pulled her to him, stroking her hair and a sigh escaped his lips before he spoke.

"I know what you are going through, and that somehow you will not agree to the blood magic ritual."

Alyssa stood up so fast that he stepped back a few steps.

"Is this the templar speaking, or is it Alistair?"

Alistair blinked. "You can't be serious! Are you telling me you are actually considering this ritual? Blood magic is evil, and you know this!"

"Is it? If Blood Magic is indeed evil, how is it that Jowan was still a prisoner when we found him? How is it that he was being attacked? Why didn't he use blood magic to defend himself, to kill everyone, Isolde included? I think that Blood Magic is evil only if the **person** wielding it is evil, and I honestly do _not_ think Jowan is evil, Alistair. A fool, yes. But not evil."

His eyes widened as he looked at her, shocked at her reply.

"You say it is evil because you were told it is evil and you had to believe it is evil. You were training to be a Templar, and it is natural that you think it evil."

"So you're saying that you are actually going to accept Jowan's offer?" He could not believe what he was hearing, and his eyes flashed with anger briefly, and then sadness crept into them, a sadness that hurt her even more than the flash of anger had.

She shook her head. "No. I promised Teagan that nobody would get hurt. If we head off to the Tower to seek their help, the First Enchanter owes me and we could probably return with more mages and lyrium to perform the ritual. Nobody would get hurt and everything would be fine. Teagan says it's less than a day's journey from here to the Tower by boat. I was thinking that maybe Morrigan could do something to speed up our trip there, I don't know. Maybe a spell that would make the boat go faster as we row. Then we could probably make it there and back faster."

He smiled, relief all over his face, as he made a move to take her in his arms. She sighed against him and looked up. Her next words had more impact than any others had before them.

"But if that wasn't the case, I would certainly ask Jowan to perform the ritual. The boy has to be stopped and quickly. Right now the demon is probably weak, and getting its strength back. It will attack again and I will not risk the lives of all the people here. The lives of those who fought bravely all through the night. They deserve to live, more than ever. A Grey Warden must do what he must in order to preserve the lives of many. Duncan told me this. _**You**_ know this."

He shuddered silently but still held her closely.

"You have to control the Templar within, Alistair. You are a Grey Warden now. Your decisions cannot be a Templar's," she said firmly.

He knew she was right and nodded. She realized that he understood and rested her head on his chest. They stood there for a few moments, holding each other, till she softly broke their embrace and headed back to the room.

"I've reached a decision." Her voice rang through the main hall, strong and calm, and somehow Teagan felt that she would keep the promise she had made to him before.


	26. Morrigan's Request

**Even though I've heard a lot of people and agreed with them about Morrigan to a certain degree, I do like her and when I play the game I get a kick of making her like me and befriending me. The looks on her face and the voice-acting is so worth it! LOL**

**There is a twist to Morrigan in this fanfic also. This is but the beginning, hehe**

**I want to thank Harmakhis for her reviews and insight, and all the people who are favoring my story! It really means a lot to me! :D **

**Bioware owns, just so you know...lol **

Chapter 26 - Morrigan's Request

They were relieved. Morrigan had gone into the Fade and defeated the desire demon that had caused so many lives in Redcliffe and Connor was safe. Isolde was beside herself with joy and Alyssa had to admit that at least the woman was a good mother.

"The Urn of Sacred Ashes is the only thing that can save Eamon now!" Isolde cried and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa promised to find the urn. Both Teagan and Isolde insisted they spend the night at the castle so they could rest before setting off on their quest.

When they set off the next morning, it was dull and bleak and the morning fog seeped through their armor, robes, and cloaks, making them huddle together as they walked away from the village. Alistair had fallen behind and Alyssa trudged on wearily, wishing the fog to dissipate.

It came as a surprise to her when she discovered Morrigan beside her, her steps quickening to keep up with her. They had been traveling for a while now, and Alyssa knew that she had to start scanning around her for a good place to camp.

"I wish a word with you as soon as we stop to set up camp," Morrigan spoke quietly, and she understood she didn't wish to be overheard by the rest. She nodded and smiled at the witch, who seemed to have been waiting for her answer before falling back to where she had been before.

They set up camp in a small clearing, which was nestled between some hills and a creek nearby. Alistair was busy setting up their tents and Sten was giving him a hand. Leliana busied herself getting wood for the fire so they could start cooking their dinner and keep warm. Alyssa made her way to Morrigan's tent and helped her build her fire.

"I have something to ask you," Morrigan was direct and to the point. "I have been reading Mother's grimoire, the one you found at the circle tower, and have finished studying the tome."

Alyssa scanned her face and saw concern there. She could also see that the witch was disturbed and it worried her. Morrigan was never disturbed.

"You look disturbed."

"Disturbed?" The witch snapped back. Then thinking about what Alyssa had just said, nodded her head in agreement. "Perhaps that is the right word. I now know how Flemeth prolongs her life so unnaturally."

"Let me guess, a spell of immortality?" Alyssa asked.

"Oh, if only 'twere so..." Morrigan's voice trailed off as she gazed into the fire wistfully.

"So Flemeth isn't immortal, I take it?" Alyssa asked.

"Whatever spark of the demon in her keeps her from dying, but her body grows old. I have wondered about the tales of Flemeth's daughters and why I've never seen one. Now I know. **They are all Flemeth**!"

Alyssa was struck dumb for a few moments by Morrigan's words. When she spoke at last, her voice sounded strangely hoarse. "Are you certain?"

"Indeed. This is what the tome details. All the daughters that Flemeth has taken. Their training, and her possession of their bodies. I recognize all of it! I am to be her next host!" Morrigan's voice raised slightly, then she struggled to control herself.

"Must this be someone she raises as a daughter and then trains, or can it be anyone?"

"I am uncertain," Morrigan's answer came back, her voice trembling slightly. "I am sorry. This simply takes me by surprise."

"I would feel the same, Morrigan," her voice was comforting and strong. Morrigan seemed to draw some strength from it.

"I am a fool!" She flashed angrily at Alyssa. "I'm **such a fool**!"

Alyssa reached out and put a hand on Morrigan's shoulder. Even though she felt her stiffen, she did not withdraw her hand. Neither of them spoke for a while.

"So what do you intend to do about it?"

Morrigan took a deep breath and looked at her before replying. What she said surprised Alyssa even though she was half-expecting it.

"I will not sit about like some empty sack waiting to be filled. Flemeth must die, and I need your help to do it."

Alyssa drew in her breath sharply. "You want me to kill Flemeth, the witch of the wilds?"

"I _need_ you to do it. If she isn't stopped, she will continue doing this. I cannot be there if you do it. I must stay behind at camp, so that she doesn't possess my body when she dies."

They were both silent, until Alyssa heard Alistair's voice calling her name. She gave herself a mental shake and her violet eyes gazed intently into Morrigan's yellow eyes.

"I will do it. You are part of this traveling family and I will not let Flemeth take you," she vowed. "Just give me some time to get through this and I'll do it."

Relief flooded over the witch's face as she stood before Alyssa, offering her a genuine smile as she took her hand and squeezed it quickly before letting it go. "You have my thanks," she murmured.

But before Alyssa turned to head back to the main camp fire and Alistair, she took Morrigan in her arms and gave her a hug.

"Alyssa! Where are you?" Alistair's impatient voice urged her to leave Morrigan standing there, as she trotted back to the fire in the center of their camp. She didn't look at her face when she ran off, for if she had, she would have probably stayed a bit longer.

Morrigan was crying, a soft smile on her lips. She could barely make out Alistair and Alyssa briefly embracing and then hurrying over to the pot over the fire, where dinner was cooking. She tried to get a grip on her emotions but was failing to do so, so she sat next to her own fire and continued to cry silently into the night, the smile long gone.

She continued to watch them until they retired to their tent for the evening. And even then, she continued to gaze at the same spot. There was only one thought that was burning in her brain and that thought was making her feel guilty.

She didn't know how she would face Alyssa when the time finally came for her to tell her why she _**really**_ had embarked on this quest...


	27. Haven on Earth Yeah, riiight!

**Haven: Insanity and fighting at its best. ;) **

**Thanks to all who are following this story and have included it in their favorites, and thanks to Harmakhis for her reviews! :D **

**Bioware still owns! :D **

Chapter 27 - Haven on earth...yeah, riiight!

The trip to Haven was uneventful, yet from the moment they encountered the guard at the entrance they knew they were about to embark on a highly impossible mission. The fact that the village had a Revered Father raised both Alistair and Leliana's suspicions that the villagers may not be entirely sane.

Alyssa found herself confronted by an irate Sten just after they talked to the guard, which made Alistair draw his sword and shield and threaten to kill him.

Alyssa first convinced Alistair to calm down then turned her attention to Sten. She told him patiently that they were in Haven to get the Sacred Ashes to cure Arl Eamon. Sten glared at her and told her the archdemon was important.

"We need an army for the archdemon, Sten," Alyssa replied calmly. "Surely you, as a soldier, understand that the archdemon moves with a horde of thousands of darkspawn and we need an **army** to get to the archdemon."

Sten said nothing, he was still glaring.

Alyssa continued to speak. "Arl Eamon is our only chance of raising an army. We need Ferelden united, and with Loghain in charge we won't be able to fight the archdemon if there is a civil war. You understand this, don't you?"

Sten was still glaring at her. "The archdemon is what is important. I will not let the rest follow you on this foolish mission."

"So you honestly think that we should directly go to the horde and attack the archdemon? Without an army? Could you answer that for me?"

Sten's glare faltered.

"Tell me Sten. Do you fight with an army when you are at war?"

"Yes. I fight with an army."

"Ah, all right then. We are doing this because I _need_ an army."

Sten pondered all this for a moment and then agreed with her. "It will be as you wish then."

"I understand, Sten. Believe me, if things were easy, I would be fighting the archdemon now instead of running all over Ferelden trying to secure aid for the war."

Sten nodded and fell back in line. Alistair let out a sigh of relief and bent down to kiss her before they continued their march through the village.

"I suppose we'll have to walk around until we find the village store. Maybe the shopkeeper will tell us where everyone is." Alyssa said wistfully.

They didn't answer her and Alyssa didn't blame them. Her voice had broken the silence which only heightened the fact that the whole place was terribly quiet and looked like it had been abandoned long ago.

They finally found the shop after meeting a creepy child playing with a human finger bone which he had allegedly found by the mountain.

The shopkeeper was hostile and frightened at the same time, if such a thing were possible. Alyssa could not get a word out of him, so she sighed and turned to the rest, clear desperation in her eyes.

They continued their search and trudged up a steep hill to where the Chantry was. They could hear voices and chants from the building and that solved the mystery of the whereabouts of the villagers.

The Revered Father was in the middle of giving a sermon. Alyssa caught the word 'Andraste' in his sermon, but the rest seemed a little too fervent for her tastes. She boldly walked right up to him, interrupting.

"Is there a Brother Genitivi here?"

The Revered Father was highly annoyed at her interruption, though Alyssa could tell that it was her question that really threw him off the edge. He asked the guards with them to attack and soon they were surrounded, while the Revered Father shot bolts at them with his staff.

Alistair wasted no time in using Holy Smite against the mage, while he bashed his shield into the nearest guard. Alyssa concentrated on the Revered Father and did not stop till she had cut off his head.

When they had finished off the guards and all was looted, they discovered a secret room where they found Brother Genitivi. He had been hurt but still insisted on going up the mountain to the ruined temple where the Urn of Sacred Ashes was. Alyssa convinced him to go back to Denerim to keep him safe from harm. They would be travelling up the mountain to the Ruined Temple without Genitivi.

...

The Ruined Temple was majestic. Ice stalactites and stalagmites on the ceiling and ground gave it an ethereal quality as the light coming in hit them and bounced off. Snow fell from the ruined ceiling and covered the ground here and there.

There were openings that led to hallways to the right and left of them. Alyssa decided to go left, and found herself ambushed by three people, which Alistair and herself quickly killed.

On the desk in a corner, Alyssa discovered that they were dealing with more than just simple fanatic people. She read a journal which detailed their devotion to Andraste and her siblings, and the writings went on to describe sacrifices to the living Andraste.

What in the Maker's name was going on here?

When they started to ascend stairs and were ambushed by strange people in armor, all in the name of Andraste, they figured that they had stumbled upon a weird cult of some kind, but it wasn't till they reached a higher point in the temple when they actually got a clue to what it was that they adored here. Dragonlings attacked them and Alistair uttered a few words that clearly explained what they were up against.

"Makers breath! It's a dragon cult!" His voice held fear and disgust in it as he finished killing the last dragonling in the chamber they were in.

The next chamber held dragon eggs and was slightly warmer than the rest of the temple, which confirmed Alistair's assessment. Alyssa groaned and turned to her group.

"Alright everyone," she said in a clear, crisp voice. "Light is rapidly failing and it will probably be very dark very soon, and I'm sure none of us wants to meet these creatures in the dark. There is a secluded alcove to the right of where we are, so I suggest we camp there to eat and get some rest. It's a lot warmer here than the rest of the temple anyway. I suggest watches of three people instead of two. Any suggestions?"

"Well, I have one," Alsitair smiled. "There are eight of us. How about half of us sleep and the other half watches, then we switch?"

The idea appealed to all and they divided themselves into two groups. Morrigan, Sten, Leliana and Alistair were to take the first watch. Alyssa, Wynne, Zevran and Pawn were in the second.

...

Sometime during the night, Zevran approached her. She smiled as he sat next to her.

"Well, my dear Grey Warden. I see that Alistair is sleeping right next to you. You have him quite enthralled, no?" He smirked.

"Why are you like this, Zevran?" Her question completely threw him off track, and he looked at her quite surprised before he managed to fall back into his guarded look and demeanor once again.

"Why am I so charming and irresistable, you mean?" His smile did not reach his eyes and Alyssa sighed.

"I want to understand this need you have to hide yourself, that's all," Alyssa pressed on.

"Why would you think I would hide anything from you, bello tesoro? You seem very good at discovering everyone's secrets," He gave a soft laugh.

"I just want to know if I can help." He was very close to her, and this made her slightly uncomfortable. She blushed and Zevran noticed this and grinned.

"Are you feeling alright, my dear Warden? You seem a bit flushed."

"Stop it!" She stood up, breathing heavily. "I'm a married woman, Zevran. My husband is sleeping right there!"

"**_Was_ **sleeping right there," Alistair's voice interrupted as he stood up, his face contorted with anger.

Zevran immediately flung his hands in the air, still smiling, and backed away several steps. "I do not wish to fight, my good friend Alistair. I was merely joking."

"Well take your bloody jokes somewhere else. I'll not have you anywhere near her," Alistair growled.

Zevran bowed to them both and silently walked away, disappearing into the darkness.

"If he ever touches you, I'll kill him!" He whispered angrily.

"Hush, my love, come, lie down and try to get some more sleep. I need you well rested to fight, my darling."

He sighed and settled back into the bedroll, holding her hand tightly in his. She leaned over to kiss him and he kissed her back before turning over to his side and falling back to sleep.


	28. Dark Times

**My disclaimer as usual: Bioware owns! :D**

Chapter 28 - Dark Times

They stood in front of a door, and Alyssa knew it was the last one...it _had to_ be, after all they had been through. The memory of her brush with death at the jaws of a high dragon was still fresh in her mind. She would bear the scars the dragon's teeth had made in her sides forever.

Alistair held her closely as they regarded the door. Death had tried to claim her and he was still visibly shaken.

He could not shake the image of her in the dragon's mouth, and the fear that had gripped him had been overwhelming. He still did not know how he had slain the beast, but he had. When he had plunged his sword into the dragon's neck, the bellowing scream from his lips had come from the depths of his own soul.

Only then had the dragon released her, and Wynne had successfully healed her wounds, and death had once again been thwarted.

They wordlessly walked into the next chamber where a bearded man stood in front of another closed door up ahead. She walked up to this man, knowing that he was the guardian that Kolgrim had told her about. Kolgrim himself was long gone, killed by Wynne, as the rest of the group put an end to the cult, drakes and dragonlings.

She wondered if she had to fight the guardian also. She did not want to fight anymore. She felt vulnerable and tired.

"I bid you welcome, pilgrim." The voice that reached her ears was loud and comforting and it felt like a balm after so much death and violence.

"I am here for the Urn of Sacred Ashes." Her voice seemed strange to her. It was hoarse and tired, and it seemed to be the voice of an old woman. Alistair squeezed her hand. She did not turn to look at him, fixing her gaze upon the guardian instead.

"You have come to honor Andraste and you shall. First you must pass through the Gauntlet to see if you are worthy."

She knew something like this would happen. She groaned inwardly. It had been ridiculous to think or vainly hope that their quest was at an end. She sighed deeply and squared her shoulders, her strength slowly returning.

"What is this gauntlet?" She demanded.

"The Gauntlet is a series of four tests to see how your faith fares. If it finds you worthy, you will then be allowed to see the urn and take a pinch of the ashes for yourself."

"All right," she said. "Let's get this over with."

"Before you go, there is something I must ask. There is suffering in your past. Your suffering and the suffering of others. You left your parents at the hands of Rendon Howe, knowing he would show them no mercy. Tell me, do you believe you failed your parents?"

Her whole being jolted as if she had been struck. She stood there, unable to speak for a few moments, her eyes lost in the firm, dark stare of the guardian. That night came back to her, painfully recreated in her mind's eye. Tears threatened to fall but she held them back.

"Yes. I should have defended them to the death." She heard Alistair's sharp intake of breath beside her. He opened his mouth to protest, but the Guardian stopped him.

"Thank you. That is all I wish to know. Before I proceed, there is something you must know. Only four of you can go ahead. You must choose among your companions now."

She looked at Alistair, Wynne and Leliana, who nodded at her and stepped forward. The rest went back outside. Pawn whined and she bent down and scratched his ears before he left.

She turned back to the Guardian and waited for him to continue. His eyes fixed themselves on Alistair next.

"Alistair, Knight and Warden. You wonder, don't you, if you could have shielded Duncan from the killing blow. You wonder if you should have died in his stead."

Alistair tried to protest, but his voice faltered. "I - Yes. If I had died instead of him, everything would be better." His eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he looked at Alyssa who shook her head and squeezed his hand.

When the Guardian spoke to Wynne, she reeled at the force of the question flung at her and she understood he was right. "Why do you go around forcing your advice on others? Do you find yourself infallible?"

"You frame these questions, but already know the answers." Wynne replied calmly. "I'm not infallible and I know that I should keep my mouth shut," she simply said.

When the Guardian told Leliana that she craved attention, she lost it. "I did _not_ make it up! The Maker **did** reveal himself to me in a vision! I know what I saw!"

"The way is open," the Guardian's response came and the door flung open behind him. "Good luck and may you find what you seek."

There was a flash of white light that blinded them. Then he was gone.

...

The next chamber had spirits that posed riddles to them. Alyssa smiled as she breezed through them, for she was good at riddles and those beside her admired how she quickly and accurately she gave her answers.

When she was done with the last of them, the double doors leading to the next test opened and a lone figure could be seen standing in the distance. It was only when she drew nearer that she realized who this figure belonged to and she stopped in her tracks, a few feet away, shock and confusion on her face.

Teryn Bryce Cousland turned to face his daughter, looking briefly at Alistair as he did so.

"My darling daughter," his voice sounded distant but strong.

Alyssa felt herself break. "Father?" She sobbed, and the tears that she had been holding back fell freely.

"You know that I am gone and your prayers will not bring me back. It is time for you to let go, pup. Let go of the guilt and sadness that is deep inside you. You have a long road ahead, and I want to tell you that your mother and I are proud of you."

She sank to her knees, crying and sobbing loudly. She could not say a word. Alistair knelt beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Teryn Cousland handed her an amulet, to help her on the journey before her. Then, looking briefly at Alistair again, he vanished.

Her sobs turned to wails, and Alistair took her in his arms, rocking her gently and murmuring soft words into her ears. He took the amulet she clutched in her hand and fastened it round her neck. Only then did the tears subside and she looked up at him with love and adoration in her eyes and that made his breath catch. They wordlessly stood up, still holding each other and braced themselves for the next test.

The next room held doppelganger versions of themselves. These versions were slightly empowered but they dispatched doppelganger Wynne first to ensure that the rest could not be healed and focused on protecting their Wynne as they hacked away. Soon the other doppelgangers were gone and they found themselves in the next chamber.

A great hole opened before them, a bottomless chasm, by the looks of it. There were strange squares around it, six on each side. Alyssa understood that they had to solve a puzzle of some kind.

She went to work on it immediately and stood on one of the squares at Alistair's suggestion. A part of a bridge materialized faintly. It didn't look very solid, so she wondered what would happen if two people stood on different squares at the same time. When she realized that she would need all her friends to make each piece solid, she worked on positioning them on certain squares as she stepped on each solid piece slowly forming the stone bridge one at a time.

As soon as she had cracked the code, and ran across the last square of the bridge, the whole bridge materialized for her companions to run over it. She heard Alistair's voice marvel at the whole thing as he ran.

"Maker's breath! Andraste only favored the clever, it seems!"

The next chamber held the urn. A ring of fire spread across the middle of the room, separating them from the ashes. They all stood there in front of an altar and read an inscription engraved on it. It asked them to shed all their worldly possessions and Alyssa at once knew it meant that they had to strip and pass through the fire naked.

When she did this, and the rest started to follow behind her, the Guardian appeared and informed her that she had proven herself worthy and she was allowed to go up the stairs to where the urn was and take a pinch of the ashes. Then he vanished again.

When she took the ashes and put them in a pouch, all of them were deeply moved. They wordlessly followed Alyssa out of the temple back to their camp outside the village of Haven.

...

She thought she would get no sleep that night, because of all the feelings that were plaguing her, but she discovered to her amazement that she fell asleep in Alistair's arms almost instantly.

She found herself in a cavern underground and immediately knew where she was. Her old nightmare had come back again to haunt her.

She was angry and her anger propelled her forward as she ran through the tunnels searching for the archdemon, wanting to plunge her blades into it, to sever its ugly head, to rid herself and the world from its evil once and for all.

When she did find it, she was no longer in the tunnels but on the top of a tower somewhere. And like before, she watched in horror as Alistair materialized beside her, flung himself at the dragon and screaming loudly, brought his sword upon the dragon's head, crushing its skull. She saw the blast and the white light again, and again was thrown back. And painfully knew what was coming as she crawled towards his still form.

She took him in her arms, saw the dead look in his eyes...

Lifting her face to the heavens, she screamed.


	29. The Arl and The Prince

**A.K.A. 'Eamon gets his comeuppance - Part One' *giggles***

**Thanks to Harmakhis for her reviews! Thanks to all who read and review and add this story to their favorites as well! :D **

**Bioware, you own everything! :D **

Chapter 29 - The Arl and The Prince

Alyssa woke up screaming, drenched in sweat and fighting off the arms that were trying to embrace her.

"My love! It's Alistair! Look at me!" His voice shook.

She heard the sounds of the rest waking up, startled by her screaming, and realized she was at camp. She whimpered in his arms.

"Is she all right? What has happened?" She heard Wynne and Leliana call out from the entrance but they made no move to enter the tent. Silence...and then Morrigan saying, "Alyssa, is Alistair there with you? Are you all right?"

_Maker! For Morrigan to be here, I must have screamed very loudly!_ She quickly found her voice.

"I'm fine, I'm sorry I woke you all up, it was a nightmare. Please, go back to sleep." Her voice trembled.

She heard them move away and into their tents, and held on to Alistair, crying onto his chest. He caressed her and showered the crown of her head with soft kisses, his heart still thumping wildly.

"My love, I'm so sorry," she sobbed.

"Darkspawn in the nightmare or the archdemon?" His question then reminded her that she had never shared this with him.

She did not reply immediately, so he continued to kiss and caress her tenderly. She lifted her tear-streaked face to his and kissed him. He sighed into her mouth and his arms tightened around her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly.

She shook her head and he stiffened. "Wait! We've had this conversation before! Is it the same nightmare then?"

"I'm sorry my love. I just can't talk about it right now. I'm too scared! Just hold me, please!"

He complied and after some time she relaxed and fell asleep in his arms.

Alistair cursed the archdemon. Sleep did not come to him again that night.

...

They arrived at the main hall of the castle, where Teagan stood, and informed him that they had found the urn and had some of the ashes with them.

Teagan was overjoyed with the news and took them all to Eamon's chambers where the mages took the ashes and sprinkled them into the the arl's mouth while they continued to send healing magic to him.

The arl opened his eyes and Isolde threw herself at his side, sobbing with relief. Once he knew that Connor was all right, Teagan and Isolde informed him that he had been gravely ill, and that there was much to tell him. He demanded to be told everything at once and asked Alyssa and her companions to wait for him in the main hall.

...

Arl Eamon stood in front of the fire in the main hall unable to speak. Alyssa could tell he was processing all the information he had received and for a brief moment she felt sorry for him. It was a lot to take in all at once.

He turned to them and spoke.

"There is much to be done, that is true. But first I must thank those that have saved my life and my family. Grey Warden, allow me to present a reward to you."

Alyssa felt a surge of dislike for the man and she fought to control herself. Her voice sounded calm and even in spite of this.

"I need your help against the Blight. That will do."

"I understand," the arl said, "but I still feel that you deserve something for your efforts."

"As you wish then," came Alyssa's short reply.

"Then allow me to declare you and those travelling with you, Champions of Redcliffe. You will always be an honored guest in these halls. And for you, Warden, a shield of the same make that we give to our finest knights."

"Thank you, your grace."

Teagan turned to the arl and told him that they should speak about Loghain and his treachery. The arl immediately told him that they could not afford to fight him right now and Alyssa felt like she had been slapped.

"What do you mean? Can't you unite the nobility against him?" She queried.

"I could unite those opposing him, yes, but he still has powerful allies. We need something that will threaten his position to the throne. My claim to the throne is merely political, as my sister was married to Maric, so I cannot do it. Loghain and his daughter are using this to their advantage already. Anora is indeed queen, but by marriage. She is not of royal blood."

Alyssa knew what was coming so she said nothing, but felt herself bristle.

"We need someone with a stronger claim to the throne, someone of **royal** blood."

"Are you referring to Alistair, brother?" Teagan asked.

"I would not suggest this if it wasn't necessary," Eamon replied. "But the inevitable has happened. Alistair's claim is by blood, his father was the king. The throne is rightfully his."

"And what about me?" Alistair interrupted angrily. "Does anyone here care what I want?"

"You have a responsibility, Alistair. Without you, Loghain wins. I would have to support him, is this what you want?"

Alistair faltered. "But I - No my Lord." Alyssa could hear the resignation in his voice which made her even angrier. She fought to control herself.

"Then it is settled. Once we make the claim, we can call for the Landsmeet. But I will first need to contact my allies and this will take time. Also, I do not wish to proceed without your blessing. What say you, my friend?" The arl fixed his gaze on Alyssa.

And there it was. Her golden opportunity. She cleared her throat.

"Why would you want my blessing?" She asked sweetly. "Obviously you have already made up your mind."

She heard Alistair's sharp intake of breath. She did not look at him and kept her eyes on the arl who was turning pink.

"I beg your pardon? Do I sense hostility in your voice?" The arl demanded.

"I'm sorry, _your grace_. But are you asking Alistair, the same Alistair that slept **_in your_ _stables_ **as a child to make a bid for the crown? Are you asking Alistair, the same Alistair that heard from your lips that he was a bastard, that he was a _**threat**_ to the crown? The same Alistair that **_you_** sent away to the Chantry at **your wife's** **insistence**?" Her voice raised slightly and Isolde flinched as if she had been struck.

The silence and tension in the room were overwhelming. The arl stared down at her frowning. Then he forced himself to smile at her.

"We did not know at that time that this would happen. Surely you understand that I had to do what was necessary to keep him away from royalty?"

"Yes, of course, your grace. You indeed did what was necessary. Unfortunately, what is necessary, is not always what is kindest. Especially to a small boy who grew up feeling unwanted and unloved."

The pink on the arl's face deepened to a bright shade of red.

"I realize that it may sound bad to you, but I did what had to be done. I could not do anything else given the circumstances. You must understand that, aren't _you_ a noble?"

"We did things differently at Highever, your grace," she replied icily. "But **_you_** wouldn't know anything about that. Anyway, what is done is done, that is true. And you proposing Alistair as king is probably the only way to defeat Loghain at the Landsmeet, I can agree to that."

"Then I am relieved," The arl smiled down at her.

She did not smile back, but merely nodded.

The arl turned to Teagan and asked Jowan to be brought to him.

...

Jowan stood before him, next to Alistair and the arl's eyes flashed angrily at him. He proceeded to tell him that he had nearly killed him and had put his whole family in danger. Then he asked him if he had anything to say.

"Nothing, my lord. Other than I am sorry and await your sentence."

Alyssa felt sorry for him.

The arl then turned to Alyssa, and said, "Grey Warden, do you have anything to add in his defense?"

"He seems sincere in his desire to repent, my Lord."

The arl straightened up and regarded her, amusement in his eyes. "Oh? That is unexpected. And what do you wish me to do then?"

"Give him to the Circle of Magi. They will know what to do with him," she said.

"Very wise of you. I agree." His smile widened. "Jowan, I hereby turn you over to the Circle of Magi."

They took him away and the arl spoke again, directing his gaze on her. "As I mentioned before, I will need some time to contact my allies and spread the word of Loghain's treachery. In the meantime, I suggest you pursue the rest of the treaties. We will need all the help we can get if we are to defeat the darkspawn hoard. Please, allow me to extend an invitation to you and your companions to rest in the castle before you set out. We will be having a formal dinner tonight. I will have someone show you to your rooms."

She bowed her head and gave him a small smile. He smiled back and his smile was genuine.

Alistair cleared his throat to speak. "My Lord, I wish a private word with you at your earliest convenience."

"Please call me Eamon, my boy. We shall retire to the study then."

Everyone set off to their rooms and Alyssa turned to leave with them. Alistair grabbed her hand. "No, love. I wish you to come with me." His gaze was warm and his voice trembled with emotion. She took his hand and grinned.

...

The arl spoke first.

"Alistair, I want to apologize for what I put you through. I realize it must have been terrible for you."

Alistair did not say anything, but blushed a deep crimson. He shifted uncomfortably and found his voice a few moments later.

"Eamon, it's all right. What is past is past."

The arl grinned broadly. "You say you have something to speak to me about."

"Yes. Allow me to formally introduce my wife, Eamon. She is the daughter of the late Teryn of Highever, as you might already know."

"I do indeed," the arl smiled.

"Well, I'd like you to listen to what I'm going to say, Eamon, because I won't be repeating it. The only way I'll take the throne is if she is presented to the nobles at the Landsmeet as my wife. I would also like her crowned queen at the time of my coronation. Either she rules beside me, or I shall not rule at all." Alistair's voice did not falter and there was a determination and firmness in his eyes and demeanor that Alyssa had never seen before.

Arl Eamon faltered for the briefest of moments. A subtle change in his eyes, but he composed himself so quickly that Alyssa doubted that Alistair had noticed at all.

"Of course, Alistair. She is of noble birth, and the Couslands are second in line to the throne as it is. I would not dream of going against your wishes. It shall be as you say."

"Oh, thank you Eamon!" Alistair's relief poured out of him in waves. His eyes found hers and twinkled.

"Now, allow me to suggest that you go to your room to freshen up for dinner. We will speak again then."

...

As soon as they shut the door to their chamber, Alistair took Alyssa in his arms and spun her around, laughing. Alyssa clung to him, and grinned.

"What has gotten into you, my darling?" She demanded.

"**You**! You are...perfect!" He said simply and proceeded to kiss her passionately, his mouth devouring hers, his tongue begging for entrance. She laughed and as she did, her lips parted and immediately his tongue sought hers. Her laugh turned to a moan as she melded her body to his, aware of his uncomfortable plate armor, returning his heated embrace passionately.

A knock on the door interrupted them. Alistair groaned as he broke away from his love and went to open it.

A servant stood there with orders to draw a hot bath for them. The huge stone bathtub was located in a smaller room away from the room they were in. The main room had the largest bed Alyssa had ever laid eyes on. For a moment she thought about all the things they could do on that bed. She blushed as she broke away from her reverie and looked sideways at Alistair who had caught her looking at the bed. He broke into a hearty laugh.

Once the bath was ready, Alistair locked the door after the servant left and took Alyssa in his arms again. She pushed away, and he looked completely confused at this.

"Did you really mean that? What you said to Eamon, I mean..." Her question surprised him, but he knew why she was asking it.

"I would have it no other way, my queen," he murmured, looking deeply into her eyes.

She paused. A smile lit her face and her eyes danced. His heart gave a jolt.

"We have to undress, darling, our hot bath awaits." She batted her eyelashes at him, and he laughed again.

"Your desire is my command, love."


	30. The Golem in Honnleath

**Thanks to all who are putting me on their favorite and alert lists! And thanks to Harmakhis for her reviews and feedback! :D **

**Ok, I loved Shale in game. Cracked me up. This chapter attempts to show some of Shale's great personality, lol. A little bit of our heroes disagreeing with each other as well. Hope you like it! **

**I'm coming down with a bug of some sort, so the next chapter will probably take a bit longer to upload, hopefully not that long! (Eternal optimist here) I probably will not be able to upload it in the next few hours though! **

**As usual, Bioware owns! :D**

Chapter 30 - The Golem in Honnleath

On the way to Orzammar, they found a merchant who had a problem. He had a control rod for a golem and wanted to get rid of it for free.

Alyssa pondered on this. Nothing was for free.

The merchant hastily explained that the golem was south of where they were, in a village called Honnleath, which was infested with darkspawn. She asked about how to work the rod and the merchant gave her the phrase to use. Wishing her luck, he left to find his mule that had been spooked off into the forest.

Alyssa felt Alistair's hand on her arm. When he looked into his wife's eyes, he was surprised at her determination to get to this golem. He sighed as they trekked the short distance down to Honnleath.

The golem was not that hard to find - a great statue standing in the middle of the town with its fists raised to the heavens - so they focused on fighting the darkspawn instead.

What did annoy Alyssa to no end, was the fact that either the phrase or the rod seemed to be broken because after she uttered the words the merchant told her, the golem gave no signs of coming back to life or whatever it was that animated it.

Soon however, they found one of the doors that led to an underground cellar open and after fighting and defeating even more darkspawn, they came to a group of villagers that had been hiding behind a magical invisible wall that protected them. Alyssa marveled at this. She had never seen anything like it. The man who had cast this spell was undoubtedly a very powerful mage.

This mage, clearly an apostate, Alistair concluded, said that he would help them and give them the correct phrase to activate the golem, which he called Shale, if they would do him a favor. His daughter had run off while they were being attacked by the darkspawn and was now in the depths of what he called his father's laboratory. _Maker's breath! Is there anything easy in this world? _Alistair looked at Alyssa, only to find that she was already agreeing to helping the man.

When they found the girl, she was talking to a cat of all things. When the creature opened its mouth and began to talk to them, Alyssa knew that this thing was probably a demon.

The cat confirmed this when she told Alyssa that she was trapped in this place, and pointed to an unseen barrier behind them. Alistair watched in horror as Alyssa agreed to help the demon and release it, even though the demon had expressed its desire to possess the girl.

He wondered if Alyssa had hit her head or something, but before he could do anything about it, she went up to the puzzle full of burners that was before them, and began to work on it trying to solve it in order to liberate the demon from its chains.

Once the puzzle was solved, the invisible barrier was lifted, and Alyssa surprised everyone by yelling at the demon that she would never possess the girl, then charged.

In the confusion of the ensuing battle, Zevran found himself chuckling and admiring her betrayal, and his heart skipped a beat. He lunged at the demon while the rest busied themselves with other demons that had materialized in the room.

The girl, Amelia, ran away to find her father, and Alyssa and her companions fought against the other demons and shades that had suddenly appeared and were attacking them.

When the battle was over, Alyssa turned and set off to meet father and daughter who were both overjoyed at having been reunited. The father then turned to her and gave her the correct phrase to activate the golem and then they left.

...

They all stood in front of the great golem, lost in thought. Alistair looked at Alyssa trying to get her attention, but she was gazing at the golem in awe. Without a warning to anyone about what she was about to do, Alyssa held out the control rod and this time uttered the correct phrase that activated the golem.

They all backed away a step or two in trepidation, except for Alyssa who stood her ground. The golem stretched and looked down at her.

"I _knew_ that someone would find the control rod eventually," it sighed. "And not even a mage this time..."

Alyssa stifled a giggle. "Er...hello to you too," she managed to say.

"Did the villagers get away?" The golem asked curiously.

"Some of them did."

"Too bad," it gave its reply.

Alyssa was now grinning at it. "I take it you didn't like them very much."

The golem didn't reply. "It does have the control rod, doesn't it?"

"It does. Right in its hand," Alyssa flourished it in front of the golem's eyes, if they were indeed eyes. She was fascinated with the creature.

"I see the rod, yet I feel nothing...go on, order me to do something." The golem demanded.

"What? Why?"

"Oh, go on! It will be fun," the golem said, and Alyssa found herself grinning madly.

"All right, give Zevran a hug!" She exclaimed.

Zevran protested that he didn't like foreign objects invading his space. "Well, most of the time, anyway," he concluded.

Alyssa burst out laughing.

The golem spoke. "This is unexpected. I should feel compelled to follow its order. Yet, I feel nothing. I suppose the rod is broken..."

"Shouldn't you be happy about that?" Alyssa inquired.

"Yes, but I have no idea what to do...what does it want to do with me? It must have awoken me for a reason, yes?"

"I don't want to do anything with you." Alyssa answered sincerely.

"Oh? That is unexpected...yet, refreshing. I suppose I could follow it around then."

"Well, what do you _want_ to do?" Alyssa asked, surprising the golem even further.

"I've been in this wretched village far too long. I simply don't know how to go anywhere else, or remember what lies outside."

"And how do I know you can be trusted?"

"I don't know. How does it trust the rest of its companions who follow it around then?"

"Good point," she agreed in between peals of laughter.

"They haven't killed it yet, I consider this a good sign,"

She made up her mind. "You are welcome to come with me then!"

Alistair broke into their conversation, frowning. "Are you sure you want to take this _thing _with us? It looks dangerous and it _is _rather large!"

Alyssa frowned back. He could see she was getting angry but held her gaze. "Thanks for pointing out the completely obvious."

"I'm merely saying that it could be dangerous. Maker's breath, Alyssa, what has gotten into you?"

"Nothing. I simply think that this golem would be a good addition to our party, that's all," she answered back quickly.

"Good addition? You can't be serious?" Alistair bristled as he saw her flush with anger.

"Really Alistair, you don't expect me to deny the fact that this golem could help us with the darkspawn, now do you?"

"It's a golem, Alyssa. And from what it's said, it doesn't like humans very much." Alistair turned to the golem, eyeing it suspiciously. "Do you?" He surprised himself asking the golem directly.

"No, I don't." The golem agreed.

"We're not taking it with us," Alistair said firmly.

"We are." Alyssa placed her hands on her hips, looking up at Alistair defiantly. The rest of the group just looked at them, with amused expressions on their faces.

"I'm betting fifty silvers he's going to relent after five minutes," Zevran said in an audible whisper to Morrigan, who said that he wasn't and agreed to the bet.

"Hey! I heard that!" Alistair turned to them, seething.

They all burst out laughing.

"Do you have a name?" Alyssa asked the golem.

"Perhaps. I've been called 'golem' for so long that I barely remember..." Alyssa rolled her eyes at this. The golem spoke again, amusement lading its voice. "I am called Shale."

"Pleased to meet you. I am Alyssa." She smiled genuinely at Shale.

"This should be interesting." Shale said, as it moved to follow her out of the village.

Alyssa managed to look at Alistair's face, and saw that he clearly was still fuming. "Come on now, Alistair, don't be angry at me. I'm sure Shale will help us out a great deal." They stopped walking and faced each other, their companions not far behind.

"You realize this thing could murder us in our sleep?" Alistair retorted, biting off each word angrily.

"If it wanted us dead, it would have killed us from the moment I animated it. I think it's not going to kill us."

"Oh, you do, do you? Well, let me tell you something, it could be waiting for a perfect opportunity, like...oh...I don't know, _**when we are sleeping**_!" He raised his voice. He didn't understand why she was being so unreasonable.

"Lower your voice, _darling_."Alyssa answered sarcastically. "I still have two ears and I can hear quite well."

"Really? Because it seems to me that you are **not listening at all**!"

Alyssa was about to reply, when they both heard a squawking noise made by a chicken and something that sounded like thunder. They looked back at Shale, a bloody pulp next to one of its feet.

Shale looked back at them, and did something Alyssa thought that a golem was not capable of doing. It shrugged.

"I rest my case," Alistair said between clenched teeth.

Then, behind him, Morrigan's voice drifted to where they were standing.

"I win. Time to pay up."

...

Alistair was still angry. She could tell by his pacing around the camp perimeter that it was going to take a lot of convincing on her part to calm him down and accept her decision.

She had just finished talking to Shale, and had even given it a new set of glowing fire crystals, and the golem was quite taken with her.

She liked Shale. The golem made her laugh, which in itself was something good, for lately she had not been doing much of that.

Sighing to herself she approached Alistair, feeling miserable at the thought of continuing the fight. She hated fighting with him and didn't want to. She paused to feel in her pack for soap and a towel, deciding to take a bath in the nearby lake instead, and her fingers closed around something there that made her smile.

...

Alistair heard her approaching but did not turn to face her immediately. He was hurt because she had made a decision without even acknowledging that it could be a dangerous one. She had ignored him completely and done what she wanted. Couldn't she see, after all they had been through that he was merely _protecting_ her?

"Alistair, I know why you are against having Shale in our party. I know you are simply protecting me from harm and I truly appreciate it." She sighed.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was it possible that she really did read his mind? He turned to look at her, and what she saw in his eyes made her falter for a moment. She'd never seen him this angry at her before.

"Ok, now you're scaring me, Alistair. Are you going to continue to be so angry at me? I really couldn't bear it, my love." She said sadly, looking up at him.

His gaze softened slightly and she took the opportunity to do what she wanted to do. Putting her hand inside her pack, she took out an object, and gave it to him.

Alistair looked down at his hand, and what he saw there made his breath catch and his eyes widened.

_Maker's breath! His mother's amulet! It had to be! But he had smashed it and this amulet had been glued together. How was this possible? _

He found his voice and fixed his wondering eyes on her. "This is my mother's amulet! But how? Where?"

"I found it in Redcliffe castle. In the arl's study." She replied, smiling sweetly up at him.

"Oh! The arl's study? Then, he must have found it and repaired it...why would he do something like that?" He gave her a puzzled look.

"I guess you do mean something to him after all. How could anyone resist you, my love?" She crooned.

His anger quickly evaporated, only to be replaced by tenderness and desire. He took off a gauntlet, cupped her chin and bringing down his lips on hers, gave her a long and passionate kiss.

Alyssa sighed into his mouth, relishing the feel of his strong body pressing against her. _Maker, she truly loved this man! _

He continued kissing her, his hand now travelling to the nape of her neck, where it buried itself into her hair. Alyssa broke away tenderly, and a groan escaped his lips. Her eyes danced at him and he felt himself melt.

"I'm about to go take a bath in the lake, my love. Care to join me?" She smiled.

He grinned at her, lifting an eyebrow. "You don't really think I wouldn't, do you?"

He ran to their tent now, grabbing a towel and a change of clothes and followed her to the lake, his arms around her, while the rest of their companions smiled at their retreating figures.


	31. The Grandeur of Orzammar

**Some of my usual fluff in this chapter along with some implicit and mild smuttiness. Orzammar for me was far too long, so I'm trying to just focus on the parts I change, I promise not to make it too boring! LOL **

**Thanks so much megglesnake for your review, made my day! **

**Special thanks to Hamarkhis and her feedback as well! And to all who are following this story! *does happy dance again* haha**

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 31 - The Grandeur of Orzammar

The great stone walls that disappeared into extremely high ceilings had left her dumb with amazement. There was a bridge over molted flowing lava and little people scurried to and fro fulfilling different tasks in their busy lives.

The rest were just as impressed as she was. The dwarves' craftsmanship and masonry had rendered them all speechless and they stood in the Commons lost in thought.

Alyssa came back to earth with a start. She quickly suggested they wander around buying supplies while she and Alistair would try to get an inkling of what was going on politically.

Getting inside Orzammar had been mildly difficult. Their king had died, and had left the whole city in a turmoil. Alyssa and Alistair quickly figured out that the dwarves were divided into two precise factions: those who supported Prince Bhelen and those who supported Lord Harrowmont.

Prince Bhelen was the only living son of King Edrin Aeducan, and Lord Pyrol Harrowmont was the opposition. Bhelen seemed to be a choice to move Orzammar forward, and Harrowmont seemed to be more conservative. As far as they could tell, they would have to speak to each of them to properly decide what to do.

The situation was a difficult one. The dwarves would simply not listen to their request for help against the Blight while there was no king on the throne. Alyssa tried to speak to each of the candidates, but soon discovered that that task would not be simple. Both Bhelen and Harrowmont would not see her without her first performing a task to gain their trust.

_It figures. All this is just going to take more time, again. Maker's mercy! Why is everything so complicated? It's like everyone is specifically trying to stall us from stopping the Blight! _

She frowned as she pondered on the best way to go. She wanted to help the dwarves but also needed their help against the Blight so she weighed down both candidates carefully. Beside her, Alistair could practically hear the gears in her head turning as she stood there, lost in thought.

"What do you think, Alistair? Which of the two?"

"I prefer Harrowmont. His second-in-command is far nicer. But that doesn't necessarily mean it would be the best choice."

She agreed with him instantly. She also knew that the papers that she held in her hand, given to her by Bhelen's second, spoke of dealings that Harrowmont had allegedly made illegally and were probably forged.

She knew enough about politics to know about the foul play that went on to achieve a goal. She didn't tell him this because through it all, she knew that Alistair would insist on helping the 'good' person. Sometimes a good king wasn't the best choice, especially when it came to ruling dwarves, who were bloodthirsty and so used to battling darkspawn and themselves.

The dwarves needed a strong king. Not one that would second-guess himself. She squared her shoulders, and Alistair knew she had made a decision. He guessed she had chosen to help Bhelen, and did not like it when she confirmed it. He sighed but decided not to go against her judgment. He knew that so far she had not been wrong about anything, and trusted her.

They met with Lord Helmi at the tavern and convinced him to switch his vote to Bhelen after showing him the papers that had promised the same partition of Lord Harrowmont's estate to his family and Lord Dace's.

As they turned to leave the tavern, Alyssa caught sight of a dwarf who was babbling incoherently about 'the ones in the stories'. Then the dwarf suddenly clung to her and shoved something in her hands while babbling, "I want out! Take these, I never want to see them again!" Then he ran off, still gibbering to himself, disappearing out the door.

Alyssa stole a puzzled glance at Alistair who looked as confused as she was, then they turned and headed out towards the Noble district again to look for Lord Dace.

...

Alistair and Alyssa stood alone in the Deep Roads, searching for the tunnel that would take them to Lord Dace, who was on patrol there. They thought that it was better this way, to come alone without their companions. They were Wardens, and as Wardens, didn't want the rest to come into contact with darkspawn any more than was strictly necessary.

The Deep Roads were dark and foreboding. The only light there were fires lit by darkspawn or dwarves. Since they were travelling down the route used by Lord Dace, the place was fairly lit. Alyssa spotted a tunnel on their right.

She glanced at Alistair, and could see he was concerned about something. She stopped in her tracks and gave him her full attention.

"What is it, my love?"

He gazed upon her with sadness, and she felt her heart cringe before she heard his reply.

"You know we'll end up here eventually."

She nodded and waited.

"Well, the thing is that I might have to come here before you...without you," he said slowly, and gazed off into the darkness.

"Why?"

He sighed and looked back down at her. "I took the Joining six months before you, so I'll probably have the nightmares before you as well. I'm older than you, and have been a warden longer than you, so I'll go down before you, but not before I kill a whole lot of them," he smiled ruefully.

"No," Her reply was simple and it took him by surprise. Of all the things he thought she would say to him, this was not it.

"No, what?"

"No, you won't be coming here alone. I'll be here with you. I'll fight by your side."

He started to protest, but she interrupted him.

"I won't let you go Alistair. Not here. Not ever. You are not alone, you never will be alone. I'll be here with you. Besides, it makes no sense for me to wait for six months only to have to come here also."

_Maker's Breath! What have I done to deserve her? _

She was completely and totally devoted to him. And the fact that she would always be a part of him, even in death, filled him with something akin to reverence. He held out his open arms and took her in, breathing in her scent and feeling her meld into him. He was breathlessly clinging to her, his hands gripping her back tightly, his face buried in her neck.

His heart and soul were hers, he simply could not begin to imagine anything without her in his life, but he had never expected to be with her when he died. But now, after her words to him, he had finally realized that her heart and soul belonged to him. Entirely. This declaration of her love and devotion had humbled him and fueled his love and adoration even more than he thought possible.

"I love you so much," he murmured into her hair and neck. "More than I ever thought possible. You are my rock and my strength."

She nodded against him, feeling their hearts thump wildly against each other. "As are you," she whispered.

They kissed, but their kiss was somehow different than the other ones they had shared before. They felt strength and comfort in that kiss, and this filled them with a sense of togetherness that blocked everything else out.

Alistair was the first to speak, when they broke away.

"Let's go," he whispered and they walked into the tunnel together.

...

They rented rooms for the night. The following day they would be heading off to Dust Town to get rid of Jarvia, the leader of the criminal caste that operated in the lower social strata. They had secured Bhelen's promise to help them out during the Bight, but still had to aid him in securing the throne for this to happen.

Alyssa found herself surprised. She didn't think she would like Bhelen at all, but after she had spoken to him, she discovered that she did. He was practical and blunt about things, and that alone was enough for her to go through with everything he asked. She instantly knew that he would be the better ruler for Orzammar.

They were lying on the bed, their bodies intertwined and glistening with sweat. Their love-making had been as amazing as always.

"You know, I find myself thinking that when I become king, we may be spending a lot more time doing this," Alistair grinned wickedly at her, one of his eyebrows raising.

"It's not like we don't do this every chance we get," she chuckled.

"Oh, I know. But it isn't every night or all the time I'd want to," he said, trailing kisses down her neck.

"It's a surprise I'm not pregnant yet," she mused.

Alistair froze.

"What is it?" She asked, feeling herself jolt with something like fear in her heart.

He looked into her eyes then, and she saw the sadness there and the fear gripped at her heart even tighter.

"There is something I haven't told you yet, love." He said in a low, sad voice.

She disentangled herself from him, but said nothing as she waited for him to continue.

"The taint does things to us. One of the things it does is...well...we may not have a chance to ever become parents," he finished off sadly.

"What?" She blurted out.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you, but I sort of forgot..."

"You forgot something as important as this?" She flung at him, feeling a wave of anger starting to creep up on her.

"I'm sorry. When I told you about dying here in Orzammar, way back when we talked about this...well, this sort of slipped my mind. I only remembered just now, when you mentioned us becoming...parents."

"Alistair..."

"I didn't mean to keep it from you, truly I didn't!" He defended himself, fearing her anger would lash out any second. "I honestly forgot. The rest of the wardens didn't talk much about it. Those who had children, had them before the Joining. None of them knew if it was possible to have children anyway, it was just assumed that they couldn't, but they really didn't care, because they already had children," he babbled on.

"The lives we lead as wardens, well...it's just that anyone who becomes a warden severs ties with his former life, so it isn't like a warden can go back to his wife to check and see if he can or can't have children..."

Alyssa closed her eyes and he stopped talking. Her mind was reeling with this new information. She felt the tears come, and did nothing to hold them back. But somewhere in her mind, and in her heart, she knew she had to be strong for Alistair and for herself.

Alistair took her in his arms, trying to comfort her. He knew that she wanted children as much as he did. Of all the things he could do to make her happy, this was not one of them.

She stopped crying and opened her eyes, looking deeply into his. He saw hope there.

"So it's never been confirmed, then? It's just very difficult to have children?"

He nodded. "Having children might not be possible, yes."

"Well," she said as she smiled up at him, "it won't be for lack of trying, now will it?"

His heart leapt with joy at this as he kissed her with passion.

"So let's get down to trying already," her voice sang into his mouth.

He did not need to be told twice.


	32. Unexpected

**A little bit of Sten and Zevran in this chapter. Hehe. ;) **

**Please read and review! Thanks! **

**As usual, Bioware owns everything. :D **

Chapter 32 - Unexpected

Alyssa didn't know why she had chosen Zevran to come with them to clear out Jarvia's hideout, yet there he was, standing right next to Alistair. Alistair was eyeing him with something that was very close to loathing.

Sten grumbled behind her. "Where are the darkspawn?"

She turned to Sten. "Sten, we have been through this before, haven't we?"

Sten said nothing to this, and Alyssa sighed before turning her attention to a begging dwarf who held a whimpering child in her arms. Her heart went out to her.

She quickly found out on questioning the dwarf that she had been cast out from her family and social strata, only because she had fallen in love and gotten pregnant. The father of her child had then abandoned her.

She went on to explain that he was casteless and had only used her thinking that if he got her pregnant, he would be included in the smith caste, as she belonged to it. Alyssa felt angry at what she was hearing. Could dwarves really be this heartless and cruel?

She found herself gently touching the babe as it whimpered, kneeling in front of the forlorn mother.

Unexpectedly, the mother, whose name was Zerlinda, asked her if she would like to hold him. Alyssa hesitated for a moment before nodding. Wordlessly, she took the babe in her arms and it stopped whimpering, looking up at her with big round eyes.

She cooed at the babe, before giving it back to Zerlinda, and quietly asked where she could find Zerlinda's father. Alistair looked on wordlessly, his eyes bright with emotion.

"He's usually at Tapsters, the tavern in the Commons. But if you are planning to seek him out to speak to him, I don't think he'll listen to you. He hates my child. Calls him _it_."

"Well, we'll see about that. I hate seeing a child suffer this way and intend to give him a piece of my mind," Alyssa said, anger momentarily flashing in her eyes.

She stood up and turned to leave Dust Town in the direction of the tavern. Sten stood in front of her.

Puzzled, she looked up into Sten's crimson eyes. She was not prepared for what she saw in them, however.

Sten, the ever-so-angry, sullen and eternally antagonistic Sten, was actually looking down at her with a softness in his eyes that she had never before seen.

"You are not so callow as I thought," he grumbled.

"Callow? You thought I was callow? Umm, thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome," he answered, still staring at her.

She grabbed at the opportunity before her. "Why did you come to Ferelden?"

"I was sent here by the arishok."

"What is an arishok, and why would he send you here?"

"The arishok is the one who commands the antaam, the body of the Qunari." he struggled to use words that she would understand, "He sent us to learn about the Blight."

"I'm glad to discover that he takes the Blight seriously," was her sincere reply.

Sten blinked, ever so silent, still gazing down at her.

"Well, did you get an answer to his question?"

"Yes."

"Shouldn't you go back then, to report to him?"

"Yes."

"What are you still doing here?"

"I cannot go home," he answered and something like sadness flickered in his gaze.

"I'm sorry," she answered with feeling. And then Sten did something unbelievable to her. He actually shifted, his body language clearly showing the discomfort he was feeling.

"What were you doing in that cage?" Alyssa asked, hoping this time to receive the answer to the question she had pressed on him the day she recruited him.

"I was sent here with seven of my brothers of the Beresaad. We travelled through the countryside, hoping to meet darkspawn and fight them, and answer the questions about the Blight in doing so. We found nothing. Until the day we came to Lake Calenhad. They appeared out of nowhere, coming from the shadows and even from the ground beneath our feet. We fought but lost. I saw the last of my brothers cut down before I fell."

"That sounds like what I went through in Ostagar," she reminisced.

"I heard about what happened to your kith at Ostagar." He was looking at her with something that looked like admiration now.

"So what happened after you fell?" Alyssa asked.

"I woke up and found myself surrounded by humans. A large family. I looked around for my sword and I could not find it. I panicked. I struck them down and killed them with my own bare hands. Even the children."

"Sten, that is terrible!"

"I know I cannot justify what I did. That sword was made for my hands alone. I was to carry it from the day I was set into the Beresaad, to my death. Even if I were able to cross the ocean and return to my lands, I would be killed on the spot for not carrying my sword. They would call me soulless and a deserter."

She understood him, even though the ways of the Qunari seemed a bit insane to her.

"Sten, I'm so sorry," she whispered sympathetically and patted his arm gently. "You probably dropped it on the battlefield."

"Perhaps."

"Where did you fight the darkspawn again?"

"Near Lake Calenhad," came his reply.

"Don't worry, we'll find it," Alyssa promised.

"Perhaps those words are empty, but...thank you all the same," the giant said simply, looking behind her.

She looked back at what he was looking. The torches outside the Tapsters tavern blinked back at her warmly.

Squaring her shoulders, she marched inside.

...

Once she had convinced Zerlinda's father that he was a heartless bastard, and heard him sobbing that he wanted his daughter back, Alyssa spun around on the spot and ran back into Dust Town, elated at the happiness she would bring to the young mother with the news. She would be able to return home with her baby after all.

Zerlinda sobbed and hugged her, promising to send her son to her once he grew up, so he could become her knight. Alyssa smiled as she watched the dwarf run off holding her son tightly.

They walked around Dust Town hoping to find a clue to the whereabouts of Jarvia and her hideout. Alyssa was getting no information from the beggars and she cursed under her breath.

So intent was she on finding Jarvia, that she unexpectedly stopped in her tracks to take a closer look at a strange-looking door before her, and in doing so, Zevran collided into her and she teetered on her feet.

Before she could regain her balance, she fell to the ground, with Zevran falling on top of her.

...

She was about to struggle and push him off, but she made the mistake of gazing into his eyes and face that were uncomfortably too close to her. She was so surprised at the emotions reflected in that once inscrutable face, that she didn't do anything to disentangle herself.

Zevran was looking at her, not with lust, nor even the slightest hint of sensuality.

Zevran was looking at her with adoration.

He was finally acknowledging his feelings for her and this both shocked and frightened him.

Alyssa saw this. She saw his eyes widen with shock as he realized how strongly he felt about her. Then, before he could get a grip on himself, Alistair lumbered over and unceremoniously grabbed him from the collar of his armor, pulling him up.

Alistair glared at him and went over to his wife, checking to see if she had been hurt.

Alyssa was still staring at Zevran, who was now back to his 'normal' self.

She shook her head as she continued to look for clues on Jarvia's whereabouts, Sten's favorite words on her mind.

_That was unexpected. _


	33. Finding Branka

**I'm making it a point to keep this chapter as light as possible because the next chapter will probably be terribly dark and depressing. **

**I want to thank all those of you who favored my story, for the alerts, and for following it closely! You guys rock! :D **

**Hopefully someone will read and review this time, yes? :) **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 33 - Finding Branka (Alistair's PoV)

We were standing in front of an outrageously drunk, red-headed dwarf who belched and asked us if we had seen a couple of Grey Wardens.

Alyssa wrinkled her nose. I couldn't blame her. The man stank. His odor could probably be smelled all the way to the surface.

"What do you want with the Grey Wardens?" Her question seemed to throw the drunkard off balance...if that were possible at all...

"I have information that may be useful. I got a tip at the tavern that these Grey Wardens are searching for Branka," he swayed on his feet dangerously.

"What do they look like?" Alyssa grinned.

"They are fair and stout...if it's a man, he is bearded and muscled, and very big, with a tremendous sword. If it's a woman, she's smaller than the man, but very tall and she is chaste and blonde, and slender."

I laughed, and when the man turned to look at me, my laugh instantaneously turned into a cough. I looked away. If I even stole a glance at my Alyssa, I knew I would burst out laughing.

_Maker help me! Quick, think of something sad!_ I looked ahead into the tunnel that led to the Deep Roads. _That ought to do it..._

When Alyssa spoke, her voice had gone up an octave, and I could tell she was having difficulty keeping her laughter at bay.

"Sorry, I haven't seen anyone like that..."

The drunken dwarf gazed at her intently, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"Hey! Now wait a minute! The only humans here are the Grey Wardens and some of the people travelling with them. You are the Grey Warden! One of them, at least, right?"

Not waiting for her reply, he continued to babble on. "Well, if you're the best they've got, their standards must have fallen straight down. Hey! Can I ask you for a favor?" He smiled up at her and swayed again.

"Didn't I see you bickering with another dwarf earlier?"

"Aye! That blowhard Loilinar. If you ask him, he'll tell you that I'm nothing but a drunk who pisses ale and scares off children, and that much is probably true. But I know how to get you to Branka, because I'm the only one here that knows what she's looking for. I know you've been sent to find her. Bhelen, right?"

Alyssa nodded, a smile on her face.

"My name is Ogrhen. If we pool our knowledge, we can find her together." He peered at us, eyes bleary and bloodshot.

"Who are they?" He pointed at us.

Alyssa introduced me first as her husband and fellow Grey Warden. I nodded my head once, and the dwarf belched again. Then she introduced Sten and Morrigan. When the dwarf saw Morrigan, and heard she was a witch, he giggled.

"Magic, eh? Magic doesn't work on me." He tried to puff his chest out, something that proved too much for him. He swayed again, this time nearly falling into Alyssa, who caught him and set him back on his feet again.

Morrigan huffed behind me. I grinned and felt that this dwarf would certainly prove to be amusing at the very least and wished him in our party.

I turned to Alyssa to try to convey my thoughts to her. I needn't have bothered, however, as at that moment I'd forgotten she was a mind reader when it came to me.

"Sounds like you've got yourself a deal," Alyssa said amicably. She was still succeeding in keeping her laughter in check and I admired her for it.

"Aye...you should know that Branka was looking for the Anvil of the Void. The only thing she knew was that it was past Caradin's Cross, but I don't know how to get there."

I thought that in that state of inebriation the dwarf wouldn't know how to get _anywhere_.

"Bhelen gave me a map. I know how to get to Caradin's Cross."

"Well, let's get going then! Branka isn't going to sodding find herself!" Oghren said.

We nodded almost in unison and made our way into the Deep Roads. Oghren's voice made its way to our ears, even though he thought he was speaking to himself.

"Witch, eh? Magic can't hurt me, ha!"

Morrigan's cross reply in a louder tone, clearly conveying her displeasure, drifted to us.

"I don't need magic to hurt you, dwarf. Just come closer and I'll show you what I can do."

"Aye. I can come closer alright." He belched.

"On second thought, stay right there," Morrigan's voice was laden with such disgust, that I felt positively giddy and burst out laughing at last.

"Careful Alistair. The last time I checked, you weren't a dwarf, so my magic would work on you. You don't want to be turned into a toad, now do you?" I shut up and flushed, looking at her out of the corner of my eye, just to check if she was joking.

She wasn't.

_Right...better not laugh again. _I walked up to Alyssa, who was actually grinning.

We checked the map and made our way to Caridin's Cross, the dwarf taking swigs from a leather pouch as we moved along.

...

Two dwarves and one elven mage stood in the middle of the road when we arrived at Caradin's Cross.

Clearly the men were ruffians, and I guessed (correctly, as it turned out, which surprised me) that they were thugs hired by the opposition trying to kill us before we made it to Branka.

I whipped out my sword and shield, standing slightly before Alyssa, ready to put my shield directly in front of her to protect her. I could see she was having fun, and I felt myself becoming a little excited also as I looked at her.

We continued to walk nonchalantly up to them until we were standing directly in front.

I worried for Oghren. He was in no shape to fight.

"Well, well, well!" The leader of the thugs said. "If it isn't a couple of Behlen's lackeys. Let's show them who's _really_ king!"

The battle was short, as we quickly obliterated them. I was gawking at Ogrhen. The man was drunk, but had swung his maul at the nearest thug, and crushed him in two seconds flat.

We made our way into a darkspawn-filled cavern. Oghren suddenly flung both his arms out, while letting out a bloodcurdling scream. His face was bright red. Then he charged, bellowing madly.

I had never seen a beserker, but had heard stories. However, those stories did not do justice to the dwarf that had transformed before our very eyes. I marveled at his skill as I polished off a hurlock, neatly severing his head with my sword.

The darkspawn were in the second cavern we came across as well. Shrieks came at us, and we fought and killed them. Alyssa found a strange hilt on the emissary and she quickly pocketed it.

We went in through tunnels to other caverns, dispatching all the darkspawn and deep stalkers that attacked us, and looted the bodies for treasure. Then, Alyssa turned to us and told us that we should rest before we went on.

"Oghren says that the tunnel up ahead will get us to the deep roads again, to a place called Ortan Thaig. There may be records there to prove that Orta is an Ortan too."

Alyssa had met the dwarf Orta in the Shaperate, and she had asked Alyssa to help her find records that proved that she really was a descendent of the Ortans, to which Alyssa had immediately agreed.

"We can stop here and set up camp to eat and rest before we continue," she smiled.

We agreed and busied ourselves with the tents and the campfire before finally sitting down to rest and eat.

I gazed down at Alyssa who had her head on my lap, and bent down to kiss her. She slowly sat up and kissed me back passionately and I groaned softly into her mouth.

Here we were, deep in darkspawn territory and I had no other thought in my head except take my wife into our tent and make love to her. _Maker's breath! You can't do this Alistair! You have to be on your guard! You're in the deep roads, and the tents are too close together._

I heard Oghren's guffaw before his words reached my ears, which were burning.

"Aye...what did you do with her legs?"

I stared at Oghren, unable to understand for a few minutes what he meant.

"Whose legs?" I shot back unthinkingly.

"_He_r legs?" He pointed at Alyssa, who was also blushing a deep red in the firelight. "That's the problem with dwarven women, their legs are a useless accessory."

"I didn't do anything with them...I don't know -" I stumbled furiously with the words, but Oghren interrupted me.

"Ah...say no more lad!" He beamed at me. "Just got them out of the way and went around doing your business, eh? Good on you, son!"

"Um...thanks." I answered sheepishly and glanced at Alyssa who had her eyes fixed on the stone floor, still blushing, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

We lapsed into silence and rested before heading off into the deep roads again.

We didn't know then that that was probably the most peaceful night we would get.


	34. The Archdemon and The Dead Trenches

**I had the idea that the only way that Alistair and Morrigan could be friendly towards each other was if they struggled towards a common goal, namely Alyssa's wellbeing. I wanted to explore that in this chapter. **

**In game I often think that Morrigan isn't all that much of a bitch and even though she tries to keep her feelings in check, she probably has a soft spot for the Warden (in this case Alyssa), who saves her from Flemeth's possession. And it doesn't help that I **_**do**_** like Morrigan, lol. **

**Anyway, this is the way I see it. The rest of the chapter is a bit dark and may be depressing for some. Some smut ahead as well. So, as usual, my warning: Adult content ahead! **

**Thank you Raven Jadewolfe for your review! :D **

**Bioware owns everything! :D **

Chapter 34 - The Archdemon and The Dead Trenches

The small group of five stood drenched in blood and venom. They had just finished fighting and killing off an entire spider lair, the spiders as big as Alyssa's pet mabari, Pawn, and were truly exhausted.

Alyssa didn't know how they still were standing. These spiders had been particularly poisonous and strong.

At least three dozen dead spiders lay at their feet. Morrigan identified them. "They are corrupted."

"Corrupted as in _**taint**_ corrupted?" Alistair asked Morrigan quietly, wiping some of the blood from his face.

"What other 'corrupted' do you know of, eh?" Oghren growled back what should have been Morrigan's reply, the blood over his face and body covering him completely. His eyes, a brilliant green, screamed out over the dark red.

Sten stood quietly among them, his crimson eyes peering into the darkness. He did not seem to be tired, and was the most alert of them all.

Alyssa peered as well, though in the other direction. She could roughly make out a stone slab and lying on top, something that resembled a book. She started to walk over, when suddenly something dropped out of the ceiling on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

Even as Alistair lurched forward, sword in hand and shield at the ready, the spider had already sunk its fangs into her chest, just above her breasts. She felt the poison enter her and pain seared her brain, white and hot.

"''Tis the queen!" Morrigan announced as she shot out an arcane bolt at it, followed by a mind blast spell to stun it while Alistair, Oghren and Sten hacked away.

The spider was even bigger than the other ones they had just finished killing and put up a fight, trying to immobilize them with webs it spun at them, but Morrigan continued her attack, till she felt herself grow weak. She needed lyrium.

Alistair bellowed his battle cry as his sword finally ran the spider through, and it twitched before it died. Alyssa was partially underneath, and he pushed the dead spider to free her.

When he saw the two gaping holes above her breasts, he let out a yell that made Morrigan come running, fear clutching at her heart.

"I need lyrium, Alistair," the witch whispered, very pale.

"Maker!" Alistair cried out as he dug through his pack frantically. Alyssa's face was starting to take on a blue-green hue and he fought to control the panic inside him.

He found only a small lyrium pack and frowned.

Morrigan took it wordlessly and drank it, feeling at least a little bit of mana build up in her, enough to heal Alyssa, but not completely. Some of the spider's poison was already in her bloodstream and in order to heal that, Morrigan would need all her mana replenished.

"We shall have to wait for her body to fight off the rest of the poison," Morrigan said, and pressed her lips into a tight line as she worked on applying some elfroot on Alyssa's two gaping wounds.

Alistair cursed. _Where was Wynne when you needed her?_

Morrigan was kneeling next to Alyssa's still form, still working the elfroot into her wounds, which had begun to knit together slowly. She was very afraid. Alyssa was her friend, and she cared about her, and _that_ was something Morrigan didn't want to admit, not even to herself.

Alistair was sitting right next to Alyssa, holding her hand in his, his eyes dark with pain and fear. He could not bring himself to think about what would happen if she didn't make it, so he didn't think at all. He waited.

Oghren was sitting further away, and Sten was still standing. He walked off a short distance from where they were. Without saying a word to anyone, he found some wood, left there by someone else, possibly other dwarves who had ventured this far down, or darkspawn, and lit a fire. Then, he put up all their tents.

When he came back, he spoke to Alistair. "I have put up tents and have a fire going over there," he nodded in the direction where the campsite was. "I will help you carry her, Warden."

Alistair shook his head and found his voice. "No. I'll carry her," he said in a whisper.

...

He set her down inside the tent. Morrigan beside him, still working on the wounds. They had crossed a bridge over an underground stream to get to where they were now, and she suggested he bring some water to clean and wash her wounds and body, and for once Alistair agreed with the witch.

He ran to the stream, and was relieved to find that the water was clean and sparkling. He waded into the water, filling a large bucket he had in his hands. He poured water over himself first, washing up the best he could under the cicumstances. Then he filled another bucket and walked quickly back to the tent, taking care not to spill much of the water.

Morrigan heated the water with a spell, and they undressed her carefully and washed her clean. Alistair pulled out a white tunic and proceeded to gently dress her, taking care not to rub against her wounds that were now dressed in bandages.

When he was done, he took her hand in his and sat just sat there, staring at her face.

Her face had lost the blue-green hue and was now pale, so pale in fact, that Alistair almost wished the sickly, colored hue were back again.

He controlled himself to not tremble, to not cry, to not grieve. He kept repeating that she was alive to himself, and drew strength from those words in his head.

After some time, he turned to Morrigan. "You don't need to be here, you know. I'll look after her."

Morrigan did not reply immediately, but continued to gaze at her, her yellow eyes dull in the half-light. "I have to continue healing her, Alistair. I'll do so once my mana replenishes."

"You have to get some sleep, then. Or it will not." Alistair replied. "Go on. I won't be able to sleep as it is. If there is any change, I'll wake you."

The witch looked reluctant to leave, but after a while, nodded her head in agreement, and slowly stood up, leaving the tent.

Only when he was sure she had gone, Alistair bowed his head and felt release as the tears brimmed and fell. He sobbed, the sadness wrenching his heart, his body shaking violently.

"Hey, Warden!" Oghren's voice cut through his sobs, and he suddenly hated the dwarf, for Oghren's voice was unnaturally cheerful.

Oghren burst into the tent.

"We found the spider nest! And the things we found! You have to see this, Warden!"

Oghren opened his arms and several lyrium packs dropped down on the floor beside Alistair.

Alistair ran to Morrigan's tent, but the witch was already halfway out.

"I heard the dwarf, Alistair. I will begin working on her immediately."

In spite of their animosity, Alistair smiled gratefully at her, and for the first time since she joined them, she returned the smile.

...

Alyssa's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she gazed at a blurred image before her. She shut them, and then opened them again. The image slowly began to sharpen, and Alistair's face popped into view. He was smiling, his face lit up and eyes warm as he looked at her.

She tried to find her voice but could not, she coughed and wheezed. He hurriedly, but gently, took her in his arms and supported her with one arm while the other brought a water skin to her lips.

She drank for a long time, then pulled away from it. Alistair settled her back on the bedroll and she realized that Morrigan was sitting not far from where Alistair was. The witch smiled at her warmly.

"What happened?" She murmured at last. She tried to sit up, but winced slightly. Her head was throbbing and she sank back into the bedroll.

"Careful, love," Alistair crooned. "The queen spider wanted you for lunch but we killed it. It did manage to bite you though."

"Oh."

She had no memory of the spider's attack, but her hand instinctively moved towards where the twin wounds were, and she closed her eyes again.

"Are you in a lot of pain? Morrigan, could you...where does it hurt, my love? Just tell us where..." Alistair's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"My head hurts terribly," she whispered.

"'Tis the fever, which has already broken. Here, let me heal you. It will relieve some of your pain."

She nodded and kept her eyes shut until she felt the warm glow that could only mean that Morrigan was healing her.

...

As soon as Alyssa was well enough, she made her way back to the book on the stone slab and discovered it was a journal. She drew in her breath sharply when she realized it was Branka's.

The group huddled around her as she read the last entry. Branka had gone off to the Dead Trenches to look for the way to the Anvil, taking the rest of her house with her. She even mentioned Oghren, and the dwarf sniffed as a couple of tears fell from his eyes.

"Well, we now know where she went. To the Dead Trenches it is." Alyssa announced.

They trudged along, and presently Alyssa felt the taint in her tugging. She turned to Alistair, who met her gaze and nodded. "I feel it too, and it's not us," he said quietly.

They looked ahead into the half-light, and walked on, the pull of the taint slowly growing.

Alyssa could now hear a humming, like thousands upon thousands of bees, only she knew it wasn't bees that were humming to her. The song drowned out all her thoughts, and the only thing she could hear was the humming.

The pull was very strong.

Alistair's hand tightened in hers like a vise grip, and she managed to block out some of the song.

They reached the source soon enough.

Directly in front of them was what seemed to be a large gaping hole, which looked like a huge ravine.

They walked up to the edge and looked down. Instead of a river below, they saw the lights of torches, carried by hundreds and thousands.

An army.

An army of darkspawn.

They were looking down at the horde.

They continued to look on, and Alyssa felt the humming grow louder, and she felt the tug of the horde calling to her. Alistair stood beside her, leaning over eagerly as well. The rest kept their distance.

A swish of great wings and a huge purple dragon swept by them, nearly knocking them off their feet. They sank to their hands and knees as the dragon perched itself on a nearby bridge. Sniffing the air around it, it opened its mouth and sent a corruption blast to the horde below. Alyssa could hear it singing.

_Drink, my children. Drink! Be strong. Soon! Soon! _

She recognized the dragon then. The same one in her dreams, its voice in her mind and head.

The Archdemon.

Alistair turned to her and a look of sheer horror crept into his face.

Alyssa was smiling.

_I need you. I want only you. _

She drew her blades out, and giving an unearthly growl, lunged at Alistair.

...

Alistair was pinning her to the ground and she was thrashing about madly in a vain effort to free herself from him.

He slapped her.

The slap brought her back and she looked up, total pain and confusion in her eyes. His heart broke as he held her, while the rest looked uncomfortably at the scene before them.

The archdemon flew off, leading the horde further away from where they were, and Alyssa found herself crying.

He sat up and cradled her in his arms, whispering into her hair.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I had to. You left me no choice after you attacked me. You weren't yourself," He babbled.

"Why did I react like this Alistair? Why did this happen? I don't understand."

"Could be cause you are a lady warden," Oghren's voice cut in, and they turned to him.

They didn't speak, but thought about Oghren's words.

"Is this why there aren't many women to join the Grey Wardens, then?" Alyssa finally asked, looking up at Alistair.

He shook his head and shrugged, unable to answer her question. "I don't know, love. Your guess is as good as mine."

She shuddered in his arms, and he held her tighter, his lips pressed on her hair, kissing her gently.

"We need to move on," she said quietly. And he nodded and helped her to her feet, but as soon as she stood, she felt a wave of dizziness. He caught her in his arms before she could fall.

"Let's stop here," Alistair told them. "We've been walking for hours and hours. We need to rest. I suspect we'll run into some darkspawn long enough, so we'd better just stay here and get a bite to eat while we're at it."

They agreed and silently put up their tents, while Alyssa sat on the ground, her eyes in a stony gaze upon the floor. The fire they built was larger than the last one as it was colder in the Deep Trenches.

Alistair carried her into the tent and set her on her bedroll.

He sat beside her, offering her some bread and cheese, but she shook her head.

"My love, you have to eat. You haven't eaten at all for a long time," he said.

"I'm too tired to eat, love. I just want to sleep. Please hold me," she whispered.

He put the bread and cheese down and did as she asked. She fell asleep on his chest, still sitting, leaning on him. He put her on the bedroll and began to eat the bread and cheese himself, watching her intently.

Once he finished, he drank some water and took the rest of his armor off, putting on a tunic and loose trousers. Only then did he lay beside her. She sighed in her sleep, nestling closer to him, and he took her in his arms again.

Holding her close, he slept.

...

Alyssa woke up, covered in perspiration, her tunic uncomfortable as it stuck to her skin. She had had the nightmare that had been plaguing her for a while now, and she turned to Alistair, who was sleeping beside her.

She hadn't screamed this time. She was almost expecting the nightmare, so she was prepared for it.

She flung her tunic off, lying naked on the bedroll as she gazed upon Alistair again. He was snoring softly.

She wanted him. _Maker, how she wanted him!_ She needed him in her now and she suddenly sat up and tore off the blanket that covered him.

He was sleeping in a tunic and loose trousers and she felt a growl of frustration escape her lips as she tugged at the laces on his trousers.

He stirred in his sleep but did not wake, and she deftly managed to undo the laces and his penis burst forward, free from the fabric that had bound it.

He was hard.

She took his length in her hand and put it into her mouth, moaning softly.

_Oh, Maker! Yes! That feels so good! _Alistair opened his eyes, and received the shock of his life when he saw that it wasn't a dream and that Alyssa was holding him in her mouth.

He opened his mouth to protest, but she looked up at his face then and he saw the desire and need in her eyes.

She moaned again, and instantly her mouth was on his, her tongue entering his mouth, wrestling against his. He moaned and his arms went around her, touching her back, settling on her buttocks for a moment before travelling up her back again.

She broke away from his kiss, and straddled him, bringing her core onto his hardened erection and pushing down hard. A low groan escaped her lips as he filled her completely.

Alistair gasped and hissed. His hands buried themselves in her hips, and his hips bucked at her, in an effort to drive himself even deeper into her.

She reached for one of his hands and placed it on her nub, and he began to touch and rub it roughly, and she groaned and pushed down on him harder. Their hips bucked wildly in unison. Alistair felt himself nearing his release and he stopped moving. Alyssa groaned in protest.

He twisted and turned her so that she was lying on her back and he was on top, and continued to thrust, kissing her.

They reached their climax, their groans barely audible in the silence as their mouths joined together, drowning them out.

Alistair rested his forehead on hers, breathing heavily as he pulled out slowly, hearing her sharp intake of breath as he did so.

Drenched in sweat, they clung to each other still as they slowly caught their breaths.

He was drifting off to sleep, when Alyssa's voice broke through.

"I'm hungry."

Chuckling, he put on his tunic and trousers and left the tent to get some cheese and bread from his pack. His love was hungry and he would fill her need.

After all, her desire _was_ his command.


	35. Broodmother

**An intense, dark chapter, but a necessary one. **

**My take on how the broodmother part should have played out and the differences between a female warden and a male warden. **

**Thanks Raven Jadewolfe and Eiri-Yuki-LOver** **for your reviews! *does happy dance* **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 35 - Broodmother

_First day, they come and catch everyone._

_Second day, they beat us and eat some for meat._

_Third day, the men are gnawed on again._

_Fourth day, we wait and fear for our fate._

_Fifth day, they return and it's another girl's turn._

_Sixth day, her screams we hear in our dreams._

_Seventh day, she grew as in her mouth they spew._

_Eighth day, we hated as she is violated._

_Ninth day, she grins and devours her kin._

_Now she does feast, as she's become the beast._

Flashes.

A female dwarf, eating darkspawn flesh.

Flashes in her brain as she listened to each part of the chant that taunted her.

The same female dwarf being raped by darkspawn.

Flashes of the images played in her brain.

Alyssa shuddered and by sheer will came back to where she was, her group eyeing her uneasily. She looked at Alistair, but he was gazing at her with a puzzled frown. He didn't understand.

He wasn't seeing what she was seeing. Why?

She advanced along the tunnel, passing niches in the walls that contained sarcophagi. Oghren continued to loot them as she had asked him to when they had first entered the area.

The voice still whispered to them in the darkened tunnels.

Alyssa gritted her teeth. Who grew? Who devoured her kin?

_I do know the answers to those questions. I just don't want to admit I know. I don't want to acknowledge... _

They arrived at a fork in the tunnel, and Alyssa took the left turn. She could feel the darkspawn there. Two emissaries.

She drew her weapons at the same time Alistair did. They advanced cautiously into the tunnel, and were ambushed by corrupted spiders, while two emissaries stood at the back flinging spells at them.

Fortunately for them, one of the emissaries shot a fire bolt at them, and some of the spiders were killed instantly by the flames. Both Alistair and Alyssa jumped sideways, narrowly missing the force of the spell, which hit the wall on the right and dissipated.

Sten advanced on the rest of the spiders, and Oghren helped him, while Alyssa and Alistair both focused on an emissary each. Morrigan kept her distance, healing and assisting with spells when necessary.

They looted the bodies after they fell, and proceeded down the tunnel. The voice came again as she stood in front of a door.

_Now she does feast, as she's become the beast. _

Flashes in her brain again. Different images but equally horrifying.

And then...searing pain in her body that made her double over for a few minutes. Alistair caught her in his arms, and she clung to him, breathing hard.

"What is it? Are you hurt?" His hoarse whisper was like a beacon shining through the darkness. She held on to it...

"Don't you feel it? Can't you see...?"

His eyes were concerned as they gazed into hers. He shook his head.

_Why can't he see? Am I going crazy? _

She knew. She knew the source of the voice was behind that door. Squaring her shoulders she opened it.

The voice, uncomfortably near now, continued chanting, the verses embedding themselves in Alyssa's brain.

She walked into the room, followed closely by the others and stopped.

Directly in front of her, some distance away, she made out a small, hunched figure in the dim half-light that was tearing into flesh and eating it.

Alyssa's stomach churned. She edged closer to the figure.

It was a female dwarf, her body still holding some of her tattered armor in place. The dwarf gave no indication that she had heard Alyssa approach. Alyssa stood there quietly, and pity stirred in her.

Tentatively, she touched the dwarf's shoulder gently.

A female dwarf, feverish and thin, turned and regarded Alyssa before speaking.

"What is this? A human? Bland and unlikely. Feeding times bring only kin and clan. I am cruel to myself. You are but a dream..."

"I am no dream," Alyssa replied gently, kneeling on one leg before her. "I can help you."

"No! No, you cannot. They come, they vomit...they...violate and they chant. They scream. Oh! How they scream...Then, then...the change comes."

The dwarf stopped talking, her feverish eyes gazing into her violet ones. Alyssa saw what she was describing then. In her mind.

She shuddered.

"All I could do was wish Laryn went first. I wished it upon her so I could be spared. But I had to watch. I had to see the change...How does anyone endure that? How did Branka endure?"

"What change? What are they doing?" But deep down inside she _knew_. She _knew_ what this dwarf was talking about.

"What they are allowed to do. What they think they must. And Branka..."

The dwarf hesitated for a moment. And looking into Alyssa's eyes again, pulled herself together. "My name was...Hespith. I was her captain and her lover. But I could not stop her. I could not turn her. Forgive her...but no...she cannot be forgiven. Not for what she did. Not for what she has become."

"What did she do Hespith? What did Branka do?" Alyssa's voice was low, but Alistair and the rest could hear every word of what was being spoken between the two.

"I could not turn her...I could not stop her! I will not become what Laryn has become! I _**will not**_ turn! I will not become what I have seen! Not Laryn! Not Branka!"

Hespith took one wild look at Alyssa and ran through an open door, promptly vanishing from sight.

Alyssa was as still as stone for a couple of minutes. Alistair knelt beside her and took her in her arms. She leaned against him and shut her eyes. Drawing strength from his arms and presence, she broke away at last and stood up.

Even as they stood apart, she could still feel his strength and that was enough.

Wordlessly, she led them as they made their way through the open door. She had to find Hespith, she had to know for sure that what she was seeing wasn't her imagination. She had to know...

_You know already, you stubborn fool. What you are seeing is not your imagination. You know what is happening already. _

She shook her head. Hespith's voice came back to them in the darkness. "She became obsessed...but that is not the right word, it is not strong enough. Blessed stone, there was nothing left in her, but the Anvil"

Two ogres charged at them from the darkness. Sten quickly met the first one, greatsword slashing at its neck, nearly severing it from the force of his momentum. Oghren and Alistair focused on the second one. Morrigan helped from the shadows behind them.

Alyssa was still searching for Hespith. She could not go further ahead as a stone wall impeded her pass. She turned to her left and faced double doors leading to another area. Then, she heard Hespith's voice again.

"We tried to escape, but they found us, they took us all...turned us..."

She opened the doors and walked inside, the others following. They found themselves in a vast chamber. Ahead, she could make out a stone altar.

"'Tis a shrine of some sort. But who would be worshipped here and why?" Morrigan's voice cut through the silence.

She gave no answer, but advanced towards the altar, finally reaching it. On its surface, she found a key and the last piece of the Legion of the Dead armor she had been collecting on the way.

As soon as she had taken the items, they were attacked by spirits. "Keeps getting better and better, eh, Warden?" Oghren cried out, then let out a bellow as he fought.

Once they were done with them, they moved outside. Backtracking, they found themselves in front of another set of double doors they had just passed.

Alyssa took the key and it fit the lock. The doors swung open. She advanced, feeling a tug on the taint. Glancing at Alistair out of the corner of her eye, he nodded once at her, and she knew he felt it too.

Hespith's voice pierced the silence again.

"The men, they kill. They're merciful. But the women, they want. They want to touch, to mold, to change until you are filled with them." Alyssa's eyes opened in horror. She realized then and there what this meant. She spun around and faced Alistair, who was looking at her, realization finally showing in his eyes.

She knew then why he hadn't seen the images she had. He was a man.

"Alistair!" She hissed at him, and he swallowed, unable to answer, unable to find his voice.

Hespith's voice cut through their thoughts again, and any attempt on Alistair's part to finally say something was interrupted.

"They took Laryn. They made her eat the others...our...friends. She tore off her husband's face and drank his blood." Alyssa's breath hitched as she looked at her husband's hazel eyes, now dark with terror.

She broke away from his gaze and stumbled into a tunnel.

This tunnel was not like the rest they had been in. She took a step and squished down on something. Looking down, she saw the ground pulsate with blood...blood that was flowing...

The coppery scent was in the air, filling their nostrils.

"And while she ate, she grew...She swelled and turned grey and she smelled like them. They remade her in their image. Then she made more of them..."

They advanced carefully, following the trail of blood and Hespith's voice.

"Broodmother."

An opening that led to a chamber, and Alyssa saw it first. What was left of Laryn, for there was nothing left.

Broodmother.

The creature had hanging breasts, several pairs in fact. Tentacles sprouted from her enormous body. And her eyes glinted malevolently.

They charged at it immediately and hacked at the tentacles. Alyssa felt such hatred that she pushed aside her terror and focused on the body, slashing at the enormous bulk between the breasts. She threw an acid flask at it, and the creature writhed and screamed.

In just a few moments, they were surrounded by darkspawn. Alyssa gritted her teeth whirling around to hit a hurlock behind her. She twirled her blades and neatly severed its head.

Morrigan busied herself stunning with a mind blast spell first. Then, she quickly fired a stinging swarm at the nearest genlock, and soon had the darkspawn falling as the swarm moved from genlock, to hurlock, to shriek, destroying them.

Turning to the broodmother, Alyssa saw that it had captured Alistair in one of its tentacles, and held him close to her mouth, while green vomit was spewed at his face. Alistair kept his mouth and eyes firmly shut, his face pale and drawn. Alyssa screamed, and her eyes found a weak spot in the broodmother's hard skin...the neck! The neck!

Jumping on one of its tentacles, she raced to the top of the monstrous creature, and straddled it behind its neck. She positioned her blades where the head and neck were, crossing them and tipped them downwards as she caught the broodmother's neck, severing it.

Alistair fell to the ground and stood up again, slightly swaying, while Alyssa jumped back down.

Hespith appeared on a ledge above the dead broodmother, gazing down at them. She spoke to them for the last time.

"That's where they come from. That's why they hate us...that's why they need us. That's why they take us...that's why they feed us. But the true abomination, is not that it occurred, but it was allowed. Branka, my love..."

She paused for a moment, then fixed her gaze on Alyssa.

"The Stone has punished me, dream friend. I am dying of something worse than death. Betrayal."

She turned and jumped.

"No!"

Alyssa ran up a ledge that led to where Hespith had been. Nothing was there but a bottomless pit. She shook her head and shut her eyes. Then she turned and walked down again, stopping to gaze at the dead broodmother.

She stood there a long time, staring. Then she turned to Alistair.

"Promise me that you'll kill me before I turn into one, Alistair." Her voice was a whisper.

Alistair looked down at her, his eyes infinitely sad and weary.

"Promise me!" She whispered again, her eyes wide with fear.

His reply finally came, and when it did, he felt something inside him break.

"I promise."


	36. Regrets and Recovery

**Warning: cursing/swear word(s) ahead. **

**Hamarkhis and PurpleCandyCorn your reviews made my day! Thanks! :D **

**Bioware owns...well...you know. ;) **

Chapter 36 - Regrets and Recovery

She felt she had been played. Badly.

Her thoughts inundated her brain, and she did little to control this. She found herself looking back at the Joining and to the first secret that had been kept from her. The Joining had been life-threatening, and she had seen two men die on that day.

But her parents had trusted Duncan, and wanted her to become a Grey Warden.

_Then live darling! Live and become a Grey Warden..._

He had betrayed their trust, because he could not have known at the time if she was going to live or not. Yet becoming a Grey Warden had seemed like the correct choice for them. She would live even if her parents had to die.

They had not known that she could have died right after them. That becoming a Grey Warden did not guarantee life as they thought it would.

They thought they had been saving her from death.

She stifled a laugh and glanced at Alistair briefly, but he had not heard. He was sitting in front of the fire, still visibly upset.

She retreated into herself again.

Looking at Alistair brought the memory of her first conversations with him. That's when she had learned that she would die young. No dying from old age.

That had been the second secret.

She was surprised to see that it mattered little to her back then. She had thirty more years to live, give or take. What she did not see then is that they had told a lie within a lie.

Alistair's words came back to her. Words that had probably been told to him by Duncan or his other brothers. "We have the real nightmares then. That's when we go into the Deep Roads to fight our final battle before dying."

The final battle? The final battle against darkspawn, or against _becoming darkspawn themselves? _For she now knew that that was what would probably happen. She would change into something horrible and Alistair would probably become a hurlock, if he wasn't killed by one first...

But the one thing that had really gotten to her was the fact that the taint would keep her from enjoying the joys of motherhood. And that, until now, even with what she had just faced, was the worst secret of them all.

She would probably never become a mother. Never be able to give the man she loved a family he so desperately wanted and deserved.

She felt deceived and regretted accepting the offer Duncan had made to her in the larder of her castle the night her parents had been taken from her.

What other things had Duncan kept from them? What other dark secrets did they yet have to uncover?

...

She felt him sitting beside her, even though she did not look at him.

The silence between them held unspoken thoughts, fears and sadness.

He did not make a move to take her in his arms, and she felt something was very wrong. This was not him. Her Alistair.

She turned to look at him.

He was looking at her with fear and sadness. Understandable after all they had just been through.

She saw what was troubling him, then. He merely was trying to put into words what he wanted to say to her, and was trying to focus. It was still her Alistair after all.

"We need to talk," he said quietly.

She did not reply but waited for him to say what he had to say.

"I made you a promise," came the words finally. "I don't know if I'll be able to keep it, but it's there."

She nodded.

"I don't think it's advisable for me to take the throne," he breathed.

She did not say anything. She only continued to look into his eyes.

"What kind of king would I be? I can't even ensure that my reign will not end in a civil war, because I may not be able to provide an..." he trailed off. Unshed tears glistened in his eyes, as he fought to keep himself from breaking down.

_An heir. _

She felt a lump in her own throat and nodded again.

"So I really don't think that I'm the best candidate for the throne."

"You think that Anora is?"

He did not reply immediately, but chose to stare back at the fire, seemingly lost in thought again.

After a while, he spoke, his eyebrows knit together as he scowled and realized he really was the best option.

"She is her father's daughter."

"Which is exactly why she is not suitable for the throne," was Alyssa's reply. Strong and confident.

Determined.

He turned to look at her then, wonder in his eyes as he regarded her.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what, Alistair?"

"Be so sure of everything? Know what is right? Be so firm, so strong?"

She gave a bark of a laugh.

"I'm not so sure of everything. And I certainly do _**not**_ know what is right anymore."

"Don't-"

"Don't what, Alistair? You tell me if you feel better after finding out that I will turn into a broodmother at the end and you will most likely change into a hurlock. You tell me if that is right."

His eyes widened in shock.

"We don't really know if that will happen."

"Oh, please! Weren't you there just now? Didn't you see and battle the broodmother? Didn't you listen to Hespith?"

"But that doesn't mean it necessarily happens at all! We are _already_ tainted. With Hespith it was...different. She was raped, and Maker knows what else." He paused for a moment. "Our calling will be to travel here at the end, to battle the darkspawn one last time."

"That's what Duncan told you right?"

"Yes, of course..."

"And since it was Duncan, you believe it, right?"

She saw him flush and his eyes grew dark, clear signs that anger was taking over, but at the moment she was beyond caring. She had to make him see the truth, even if he hated her for it.

"Why would Duncan lie to me?" He snapped.

"Why indeed?"

Silence between them. The lull before the storm.

"My father lay dying in that larder. And Duncan told him that he would take my mother and me to safety only if father agreed to let me become a Grey Warden. Mother then decided to stay behind, with father. To give us time to escape. Her last words to me were that I should live and become a Grey Warden. They thought they were giving me to a noble cause that would guarantee my life, my **survival**."

All traces of Alistair's anger disappeared, and he moved to take her in his arms, but she shied away from him. He stopped and looked at her, pain and confusion in his eyes.

"You see? You want to protect me from the memory of it. See how bad it is? My parents thought they were giving me a chance to live, and Duncan did not say anything. Because I could die! I could die in the Joining! His silence led them to believe that I would live!"

She stood up, breathing heavily, anger washing away all her self-control. Alistair stood up also and again moved to calm and comfort her, but she backed away, and held up her hands to stop him.

"And if that wasn't enough, we will die young. But that shouldn't bother us, right? Because the real problem is that there _**is**_ no final battle. There is no fighting the darkspawn, killing as many as we can before we fall, which would be a good death after all..."

She paused, her face red, tears streaming down, her breathing coming in gasps. "The real problem is that we will really be fighting ourselves! OURSELVES!"

Her last words ended in a scream.

Sten, Morrigan and even Oghren stood up in shock, wondering if they should intervene. They had never seen her so upset before and were worried.

"And to top it all off, you have to become king, and probably will need to annul our marriage because you need an heir for fucking Ferelden, so you'll have to find another wife to get an heir, because **love** is no longer important, and people you love and trust lie to you! All because of duty! Not love! **Duty**! And through it all, we are lied to, all because they have to keep their fucking secrets!"

She fell to the ground, crying and screaming, sobbing and cursing. "I hate politics! I hate secret orders! I hate DUTY! Fuck them all!"

He knelt beside her then. Tenderly, oh so tenderly, he took her in his arms and rocked her, stroking her hair gently. She clung to him, still crying and sobbing, unable to stop.

But eventually she did stop, and she did calm herself. Because of him.

Her love.

Her Alistair.

"Listen to me, my love. If I become king, if I do take the throne, I will **not** annul our marriage. There are other ways to ensure an heir to the throne. An heir does not have to be mine. We will simply have to draw up a will or testament, and decide who takes the throne after our reign _before_ we leave. I will not lay with another woman. I will not love another woman. I will **not** leave you. I will not let duty come between us._** You**_ are my family. We are one."

She sighed into his chest, but did not say anything to this, merely held on tighter to him.

"Whatever we decide to do, it will be together. And as for the end, we will also face it together. Come what may, we'll face _everything_ together, like we always have since Ostagar."

He cupped her chin with his thumb and forefinger, lifting her face to meet her puffy eyes, and looked tenderly into them. The love in his eyes was her strength. Her doubts and fears were slowly vanishing.

"It doesn't matter if they lied, if they kept secrets from us. What matters is that we are together, and that we love each other. And we will stand and face everything together... now, at the end and in between."

He stopped talking and brought his lips down to hers, and they kissed.

Her heart soared. And as it did, she knew it was on the road to recovery.

Because her Alistair had made it possible.

**A/N: And **_**this**_** is the way I think a 'hardened' Alistair should act. :) **

**Please R&R! Thanks! :D **


	37. On The Road To Denerim

**Originality sprinkled with in-game events. :) A/N at the end to explain something, lol. **

**Thanks to Harmarkhis and PurpleCandyCorn for the reviews and for everyone who is following this story! :D **

**And Bioware still owns... ;) **

Chapter 37 - On The Road to Denerim

They took some time to stay in Orzammar, looking around, buying supplies and enjoying King Bhelen's hospitality. Alyssa and Alistair were rarely seen with their companions, preferring instead to stay in their room at the inn.

On the rare occasions when they did emerge from their room to accompany them, they would do so silently, holding hands and stealing loving glances at each other.

Morrigan was there with them on one said occasion, when Alistair had been nuzzling Alyssa's neck, and had informed everyone that both of them were making her ill, which Alistair promptly turned to his advantage by announcing that he was 'killing two birds with one stone', before kissing Alyssa fully on the mouth, a grin on his face.

Yes, those were the best times of their lives amidst all the bantering...

So by the time they set out to Redcliffe, to meet with the Arl, a huge shadow had been lifted and they both walked with a spring to their steps, enjoying each other's company and just marveling at the thought that they were both alive and together.

The arl had been relieved to learn that they had acquired all the help they could, using the treaties, and wanted to make arrangements so that they all could travel to Denerim together to his estate.

"Well, _your Grace_, there are still a few things that need to be done, which I feel are important to me and my companions. I hope you do not feel offended if you march away alone, with your knights and soldiers. We'll meet you at your estate at a later date."

Alyssa smiled at him, ready in case he went against her wishes.

Alistair might have been a puppet to Eamon, but she wanted to make sure that the arl understood he would never control her the way he had controlled Alistair in the past.

The Arl seemed to be taken aback for a few moments, when a stunned silence followed her words, but he seemed to take it all in stride very quickly and complied to her wishes.

"Very well. I shall await your arrival at our estate in Denerim, then."

She smiled sweetly at him and Alistair suppressed a grin.

They stayed on in Redcliffe castle at the arl's insistence that night, and set out early the next morning.

What they did not see or know was that the arl had just paid someone off to have them followed.

...

Alyssa was pleased with the arrangement. There had been two things she had wanted to do before setting out to Denerim for the Landsmeet.

One of the things had been to return to Ostagar. The ghosts of the past would not let her be, and she wanted to see if she could strike down any remaining darkspawn there in order to quiet her sense of revenge and rage, ever present when she thought back at what had transpired there.

The other thing had been the promise she had made to Morrigan to kill Flemeth, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to do so.

They camped at the edge of the wilds, not far from the ruins of Ostagar itself, alert in case they were attacked by darkspawn, and setting up watch with more people just in case.

They were not bothered, as was the case, and the very next day, Alyssa had set off to the ruins with Alistair, Wynne and Leliana.

They had been very thorough and killed each and every darkspawn in sight. Truth be told, the whole matter now seemed more like a personal vendetta once pieces of the armor Cailan had worn started to appear on some of the darkspawn. Alistair had reacted very badly to this, and so they had looted every darkspawn in sight before finding the last piece of the armor.

They also found Cailan's body and built a pyre, sending him off to the Maker at last, while his earthly body burned.

There was something that had bothered Alistair though, and that was that Duncan's body had never been found. Alyssa had suspected it never would be and left it at that, she just took Alistair's hand and squeezed it when he had turned to her before they left the battlefield.

When they recovered items from Cailan's personal chest, which included letters between Empress Celine and Cailan, Alistair's remark had evoked a response from Wynne, and they had fallen into a more serious banter about the help Orlais could have sent to Ferelden for this Blight and how Loghain's treachery had spoiled it all.

Alyssa had then taken a beautiful blade from the chest, and knew from another note she found inside and from what she had heard from her parents, that the blade had belonged to Maric. Cailan had decided to use the blade ever since he had taken the throne five years before.

It seemed only natural, therefore, to do what she was going to do. She had the blade enchanted by Sandal at camp with three Grandmaster runes: flame, paralyze and slow. She also had the rest of the weapons enchanted. Then she walked over to Alistair, who was sitting beside the fire, and lay the sword on the ground before him.

"This was Cailan's," he said as he stared at it, not touching it.

"No, it wasn't," she replied quietly.

He turned a questioning look at her and she met his gaze squarely.

"It was King Maric's," she finally said. "I think it only fitting that you carry it."

He did not say anything, but could tell that he was touched.

"I had it enchanted...I also have Duncan's sword here, for you. And his dagger, but seeing as you don't use two blades," she sighed, almost as if she didn't understand why he had never learned to use twin blades, "then I suppose you have to choose whether you want Duncan's or Maric's. I had Duncan's enchanted with the same runes too."

When he looked at Duncan's sword, she could tell he was waging a war inside himself. Duncan had been like a father to him, but had also kept secrets from him. She knew, however, that his real issue was the fact that he had not been in the battle to protect Duncan.

"You can keep both, and switch them, using whichever you want."

He nodded, unable to speak at first. She bent down and kissed him lightly, before turning to leave. She still had to hand other things out to the rest of her group. His voice stopped her.

"I think I'll use Maric's for now." It was quiet and still held undeniable emotion in it. "Thank you, my love."

She smiled into the night as she approached Leliana next.

...

Flemeth stood next to her hut, seemingly waiting for them. Alyssa was momentarily taken aback. _How did the witch know that they were coming for her?_

She did the best to hide her surprise when she stood directly in front of her.

The witch's eyes glinted malevolently, a smile playing on her lips.

"Ah, so here you are at last. Lovely Morrigan has finally found someone to dance to her tune."

She was enjoying herself.

Alyssa bristled. Alistair stood beside her and snorted disgustedly. Wynne and Leliana were silent behind them.

"I should dance to your tune instead?" She retorted.

Flemeth cackled. "What has Morrigan told you, hmm? What little plan has she hatched this time?"

"She has sent me to kill you, and for good reason." Alyssa could barely contain her anger now.

"Oh, there are many reasons to kill Flemeth. More than you'll ever know. But if I am to guess, I would say that Morrigan has discovered something...something _**shocking**_ that requires her defense, yes?"

Alyssa did not reply, but felt her anger still climbing, coursing through her body.

"Ahh, but it is an old, old story. One that Flemeth has heard before...and even told. Let us skip to the ending, shall we? Do you slay the old wretch as Morrigan bids? Or does the tale take a different turn?"

Alyssa thought about her taking all those girls, and using them, possessing them when the moment was right. Anger broke down her self-control at last.

"You deserve to die, whatever the reason!"

"It is a dance poor Flemeth knows well. Let us see if she remembers the steps." She walked up to a small plateau not far from the hut. She turned back to them, and her voice changed into something evil and guttural.

"Come. She will earn what she takes. I'll have it no other way..."

All vestiges of the frail old woman vanished and a huge purple dragon stood before them.

...

She was standing in front of Morrigan, holding out Flemeth's grimoire to her.

The surprise and wonder on the witch's face made the battle she had just fought well worth it.

"Flemeth's real grimoire, is it not?" She took the tome reverently, while giving Alyssa a rare, genuine smile that lit up her face.

"I promised I'd do it," Alyssa said quietly. "I always keep my promises."

She could tell Morrigan was touched and deeply moved which surprised her. The witch always held her emotions in check.

"You have my thanks."

Morrigan faltered for a moment. "'Tis a curious thing, I do not know how to describe it..."

"What? Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong. I'm reminded of our first meeting in the Wilds. I had been in animal form, watching you for some time and I was intrigued to see such a formidable woman. Far more powerful than the men she was traveling with."

She paused, looking down for a moment, obviously embarrassed, but lifted her yellow eyes to Alyssa and continued.

"I resented it, when Flemeth assigned me to travel with you. I never dreamed you would let me accompany you this far. I thought that as soon as we left Lothering, you would send me away."

"Why would I do that?" Alyssa mused.

"I am aware that I have little...talent...for forming...friendships. I never thought I would need a friend. Yet, when I discovered Flemeth's plans, and revealed them to you, you did not abandon me. You must have fought a terrible battle..."

"I did it because I'm your friend."

"And _that_ is what I don't understand. Of all the things I could have imagined would have resulted when Flemeth told me to go with you, the very last would have been that I would find in you a friend. Perhaps even a sister."

Her eyes were warm now, as they looked into Alyssa's. Then a momentary flash of sadness emerged in them, and there was a brief catch in her voice when she murmured her next words.

"I want you to know that while I may not always prove...worthy...of your friendship, I will _always_ value it."

Morrigan said no more because Alyssa suddenly hugged her. Then she smiled at her before turning and leaving.

The witch smiled back as she watched her go.

But when she turned her gaze to the fire, her smile had vanished and sadness marred her beautiful face once again.

**A/N: I'm sorry I haven't written about the rest of the companions' personal quests (such as Shale and Oghren) but I felt I had to focus on the ones that were important to the plot of this fan fic. I hope you all understand. *puppy dog eyes***

**Please R&R, thanks! :) **


	38. Another Detour

**This is a long chapter, lol. **

**I'm sorry if it may get tedious, (I hope it doesn't) particularly in the dialogues I used from the game, but I have tried to put in a lot of original and lighter stuff, to make it easier to read. I hope you enjoy it! **

**A bit of smuttiness here and there but nothing major, lol **

**Thanks to Hamarkhis for her review as always! I'd also like to thank the wonderful people who have listed this fanfic as their favorite, as well as those who put it on their alerts, and everyone who is following this story! You guys rock! :D **

**Bioware owns everything! I swear! :P **

Chapter 38 - Another Detour

They were a day away from Denerim when they discovered they were being followed.

She had known this even before Zevran had come to her with the news. Alistair's eyes were filled with concern as he looked at her. Alyssa, however, laughed and her eyes danced at them both.

"Well, at least you are enjoying yourself," Alistair said frowning. "What do we do about it?"

"Nothing," she smiled.

Both men were taken aback by this. They blinked at her, unsure if they had heard correctly.

"I've known we're being followed since we left Redcliffe," she said, amusement written all over her face. "But there is someone else who is following us also."

Zevran digested this for a moment. He knew this much was true, there had been two distinct sets of footprints. He admired her for her cunning, and had to still his fluttering heart.

"Two of them? What does that mean?" Alistair asked.

"It means that there are two people following us, my love," she joked.

He managed a sheepish grin and rephrased his question. "What I meant was...do they know each other? Have they been sent by the same person?"

"Ah, that is exactly what we should find out," Zevran joined in. "I will continue to watch closely and see what I can discover. It seems to me so far, that they don't know each other, or _of _each other, but I will need to confirm that."

"Yes, you do that, Zevran, please. Right now, just focus on your watch." She smiled warmly at him. He gave a bow and left the tent.

"So...who do you think sent them?" Alistair asked as he proceeded to take off his armor to catch some sleep before his nightly watch.

She helped him with his buckles, while giving him a reply. "I don't know who did. They may have been sent by the same person, or possibly two different persons, we'll find out soon enough."

"Really?" He said as he bent his head to kiss her neck softly. "And how soon enough?" He mumbled as his lips wandered down to her collarbone.

"Alistair, really! You're making it so difficult for me to untie this buckle."

"Oh, I never knew you were so impatient, love," he crooned, and brushed her breasts with his hands, while he continued to kiss her neck.

She half-closed her eyes for a moment, trembling slightly with pleasure, and then brushed his hands away. He looked hurt and clasped his hands over his heart, but there was a twinkle in his eye.

She suppressed a giggle.

"So, we'll find out soon, you said? How will we find out, exactly?" He focused on trying to get her out of her leather armor.

The giggle she had been trying to quiet bubbled over at last and at the same time she finally succeeded at untying the last buckle. His breastplate fell to the ground with a resounding clash.

"Well, I set traps around the perimeter of our camp, and one of them is bound to fall in them. And when he does, the whole camp is going to know. Trust me."

He gave her an appraising look, an eyebrow shooting up to his hairline, and bent down to kiss her, still fumbling with the ties of her leather armor.

"Hmmm. I just love it when you are so cunning and..."

He stopped talking and let out a throaty groan...her hand had reached his groin.

"Yes?"

"You little minx," he growled as he finished untying the laces at last, her leather armor falling into a heap on the floor.

Then, without further delay, he took her in his arms and set her on the bedrolls behind them, kissing her passionately and ignoring her giggles, until she melted in his arms and rewarded him with ecstatic little moans of pleasure.

...

The camp was silent, as Zevran and Sten walked around watching over the rest as they slept.

As they shifted and passed each other, a yell came from the far left end of the perimeter of their camp, along with a thud followed by a distinct, "OW!"

This happened fairly near Alistair and Alyssa's tent, and they scrambled into tunics and trousers before leaving the tent to see what was happening. The rest soon joined them, rubbing their eyes sleepily.

"Be careful, I've set caltrop traps around, and you are barefoot, love," Alyssa warned.

Alistair nodded and turned to Zevran to ask if he could check who was there, but the assassin had already vanished. He returned with a man, who was now pleading for his dear life as Zevran held one of his daggers to his neck.

"I swear I meant no harm, I just wanted to get close to the fire, it's cold out here!" The man babbled.

Alistair narrowed his eyes at him. He crossed the distance between them and glared, towering above the man.

The man cowered.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Alistair said between clenched teeth.

"My name is Levi, ser. Levi Dryden. And I'm here looking for the Grey Wardens, because they may be the only ones that can help me!"

They all stared at him in stony silence.

From behind them, came Sten's rumble.

"This is...unexpected."

...

They stood in front of Soldier's Peak, having only just slain three groups of undead that had attacked them.

She still could not get used to the fact that they _still_ had to kill undead. These creatures had already died and had to die again. She shook her head and sighed.

The vision that they had all shared upon entering the Peak, had confirmed that the place was riddled with demons.

She walked from one end of the vast courtyard to the other, which was covered in snow, to make sure there were no more attacks, then proceeded up a slope to a statue overlooking the mountainside.

Satisfied that they would not be ambushed again, she turned to walk back to the huge steps that led to the entrance.

"So...Levi, tell me...did you really find that path on your own?" She asked and watched as Levi's face turned a dark shade of red. He finally made up his mind to tell Alyssa the whole story, even if it meant she would think he was crazy.

"I had a dream, and someone told me the path to take in the dream."

"Why didn't you mention this before?"

"I'm sorry, Warden, but I thought you would think I was mad," he said humbly, his eyes on the frozen ground before him.

She patted his arm, and smiled at him when he dared to meet her eyes.

Relief flooded his face.

"Well," she said, as she characteristically squared her shoulders, "let's head inside, shall we?"

She opened the doors and the rest followed without hesitation.

...

They ran into even more undead inside.

When they climbed a set of stairs and killed another group, Alyssa found herself looking at two doors. The one directly in front of her had some kind of a magical barrier so she looked at the one on her left and walked towards it, bracing herself for more attacks.

She was surprised to see a lone figure at the end of the room, standing behind a dilapidated desk.

The figure turned and Alyssa found herself staring at the rotting corpse of what once must have been an attractive dark-haired woman, dressed in warden armor.

"Step no further, Warden!" The demon woman called. "This one would speak with you..."

"And why exactly should I speak to you?" She asked defiantly.

The woman sneered. "Because this Peak is mine! This one is the Dryden. Commander. Sophia."

Chuckling, it added, "All these things."

Alyssa turned to Levi. "Levi, I'm afraid your great-great grandmother is possessed."

"That, or she's _really_ let herself go. My great-great grandmother is dead. I don't know what this thing is..."

"This one would propose a deal," Sophia sneered.

"And why should I trust a demon?" Alyssa demanded.

"How could one woman-child compare to the might of one who has just slain all my minions? A fool this one would be to betray the Warden. Strike me down if my terms offend."

"Tell me about this deal, then." Alyssa calmly asked.

Zevran cut in, admiration in his voice. "Making deals with demons now, are we? I must confess, wardens are more cunning and ruthless than we expected. Carry on, don't let me get in the way!"

"Your Crow is wise," Demon-Sophia smirked. "The Soldier's Peak traps me. This one sees so many places in the Dryden's memories. This one would see the world itself. For me to be free, into the old mage tower you go and destroy. In return, this one seals the Veil. Your Peak would be safe. No more demons. No more enemies."

"And what exactly will you do if I free you?" Alyssa asked sweetly.

Alistair smiled. He knew what was coming and prepared himself.

"This one will roam, this one will see, this one will **feed**."

"There is no way I will make a deal with you," Alyssa spat out, drawing her weapons.

"Then you are a fool!" The demon screamed.

...

They had dispatched the demon that possessed Sophia Dryden's body and were now in an antechamber just inside the old mage tower, standing in front of a door.

Alyssa opened the door. Nearly a dozen undead attacked.

_Of course. Why aren't I surprised? _

They killed them all after a brief fight, and Alyssa advanced into the room, taking all the details in. There was a vial on a table beside some books. On the left, there was a huge tome that was open to a page, lying on the floor.

She walked towards the tome, first of all, and knelt to read the entries out loud all written by Avernus. The tome she was reading was some kind of research journal.

Alistair snorted with disgust when she was done. She knew why. The warden mage, Avernus, was a Blood Mage.

She did not say anything but then walked towards the vial on the table.

As she stared at it, she felt a tug in the taint flowing through her. Frowning, she put her hand around it, and felt a power surge through her, like she had never felt before. Alistair then intervened.

"Don't Alyssa. Whatever you do, don't drink it."

"Why?"

"I know how you feel about the taint in us. Do you want it to become even worse for you? Can't you feel what is in this vial? Don't you feel the pull?"

She took the vial in her hands, ignoring Alistair's groan of disapproval. The liquid inside seemed to pulsate and beckon...

Gathering all her strength, she flung the vial across the room where it hit the wall and shattered.

She heard Alistair give a sigh of relief. Then she turned to one of the doors on the left, and opened it.

...

They had been speaking with Avernus for some time now. He had told him everything he had done and had answered Alyssa's questions about the rebellion and Sophia Dryden. Unfortunately, there was no proof of Sophia having been a hero, and Levi was sad that he could not clear his family name.

She was asking him about his experiments now. He had been studying the taint for a long time. She felt the tiniest surge of hope in her heart...

"My research has uncovered so much more-hinted at even greater heights. This knowledge could not only save Soldier's Peak-with it the Wardens could grow even more powerful!"

Silence. No one spoke, and everyone seemed to be waiting for Alyssa to speak. She did not say anything for some time. Alistair did notice that there was a small smile playing on the corners of her lips. He didn't know what to make of it.

"You're to blame for all of this. Some things you just don't do."

Avernus bowed his head at her words. He looked very old and sad, and almost ashamed of himself.

Then he lifted his gaze to her eyes again. He looked very weary but in spite of this his eyes held admiration for Alyssa.

"So old. So tired," he sighed. His gaze shifted. She could see the determination in them now.

"Let me undo the greatest of my mistakes. Let me cleanse this place. Close the Veil and rid it of its demons. Then...Then I will accept whatever justice you think I merit."

"Very well," Alyssa agreed. "Until the demons are dead, we are allies."

...

They lay on their bedrolls, spent after making love.

Alistair had his arms around her and her head was on his chest, listening to his heart beat, which comforted her.

"So, I have to ask, love," he finally said.

"Hmmm..." she nestled deeper, rubbing herself against him, and her right hand began to trace the scars on his chest.

He sighed deeply. "If you keep on doing that, I'll forget what I was going to say," he admonished.

She gave a short, soft laugh and her hand stopped, waiting for him to speak.

"Why did you spare Avernus? Are you really so interested in his research?"

She sat up and looked at him, smiling.

"Alistair, do you realize he may be the only person in Ferelden who knows a great deal about the taint?"

"He's also a blood mage."

"I knew you were going to say this. Just try to overlook that for a moment, my love."

"Overlook it? He killed his fellow Grey Wardens! How can anyone possibly overlook that?"

"Yes, I'm not excusing his behavior, darling. Truly I'm not," she said pouting a little.

His eyes fastened on her lips, and her pout seemed so inviting to him that he sat up, took her in his arms and kissed her, running his tongue over her lips, then sucking her lower lip gently.

She moaned but then pushed him away, determined to have this conversation.

"Think about it. He may know how to reduce the flow of the taint in us!" She said excitedly.

He said nothing for a moment, but could see she was obviously very excited about the whole thing. He gazed at her happy smile, her shining eyes and had to smile.

"And if that happens, we may be able to have children!" She looked into his eyes, her eyes dancing madly now.

Her excitement was contagious. He found himself grinning.

"And," she added, "once the taint is reduced, this could also mean that we won't feel a calling or...or...change."

She stopped for a moment, but then said, "Because we'll grow old and die of old age!"

He burst out laughing at this.

"Surely you are the only woman in all of Thedas who finds old age attractive," he teased playfully.

She pouted again. He found it hard to break his gaze away from her full, pouting lips. Before he could kiss her again, however, she spoke.

"Oh, you know what I mean! Anyway, I truly intend to talk to Avernus as soon as we end this Blight. I'm sure he has a lot to say about this."

"How do you know he'll even live that long? He's old enough now, you know..." He trailed off, still looking at her lips, her mouth...

She sighed deeply, evidently intent on making him agree with her. The sigh reminded Alistair of other parts of her body his eyes could feast on.

They traveled slowly down to her breasts, and he felt himself getting aroused again.

"Oh, I don't know. I think he might survive after all. I might talk to him tomorrow, when we go pick up the sword Levi's brother is making for us."

"All right, I see your point. And, I'm coming with you," he said and moved closer, his lips finding her lips again at last, while his hands massaged her breasts.

They settled back on their bedrolls, and soon Avernus and everything else was forgotten...

...

From the darkness behind their tent, a figure silently stepped away from where he had been crouching, listening in on their conversation.

Feeling extremely pleased with the information he had gathered, he disappeared into the shadows beyond, taking the shortest route to Denerim.


	39. Ulterior Motives

***looks around* Yep! Bioware still owns! :D **

**Special thanks to Raven Jadewolfe for her feedback! :D **

Chapter 39 - Ulterior Motives

Alyssa was angry. She had returned to the camp with Alistair, after speaking with Avernus.

Even though the mage had acknowledged that he did know a way to stop the flow of the taint and possibly reverse it, he had not promised to help her out.

In fact, he had seemed withdrawn and reluctant to speak of it any longer.

His only words to them had been: "Just survive the Blight, and we'll speak again."

He had not said another word.

They would be setting off to Denerim shortly and everyone was busy with last-minute packing.

She wrestled with her backpack, which was now too full to allow her to carry anything else, and fumed.

Alistair had finished packing and was eyeing her with concern as she threw it to the ground and kicked it, swearing and cursing to herself.

"Hello, there," he said softly, approaching her. "I'm Alistair, and I have been looking for someone like you." He gave her a lopsided grin.

This totally surprised her, and she stopped kicking the backpack.

She stood facing him, putting her hands on her hips as she regarded him, breathing heavily.

He ignored the thrill of the vision before him, and controlled the desire which threatened to flood his senses.

"You don't suppose you have some free time for this stupid oaf, do you?" He asked in a small voice, pouting.

She relaxed a little, but was still glaring at him.

"What do you want Alistair?"

"Ow! What did I do to you? You're snapping at me..." he said in a hurt tone.

Her expression softened and her arms dropped down by her sides.

"I'm sorry, my love," she said sadly. "I'm just not having a very good time with the backpack, and you know what happened with Avernus."

He stepped closer to her, and smiled as he took her in her arms.

"I know that he does know of a way to help us with the taint," he said, giving her a quick kiss and pulling away to gaze into her eyes. "How is that bad news?"

"Well, he didn't agree to help us! You don't think this is bad?"

"True," Alistair sighed. "But he said he would talk to us after we dealt with the Blight. That means he will probably agree, though not as soon as you would like him to."

"I just would have liked him to commit, so we could deal with everything in a more relaxed frame of mind...you-you understand, don't you?" She looked up into his warm, hazel eyes.

"Yes, I know, my love. More than you realize. And I understand your frustration," he murmured. "But the poor backpack doesn't and we need it to travel, remember?"

She sighed and smiled at this. Gazing down at the backpack, she became annoyed again.

"I just can't get it to close properly!"

"If I may, I'd like to suggest something," he said, his eyes twinkling.

She looked up at him again and nodded.

"I'll organize the things inside, and you'll find out you have more room than you thought you did when I'm finished. In the meantime, take Starfang over to Sandal and get it enchanted. It's time to put away your family sword, don't you think? We can store that and other things at the Peak before we set off to Denerim."

She smiled up at him, all traces of her temper vanishing.

He was so good to her! She flung her arms around her neck and gave him a big kiss before she left.

He stood there, grinning like a fool, watching her swaying hips and sighed.

Then, giving himself a mental shake, he turned to her backpack and quickly dumped everything on the ground, before sitting down to organize the things that now lay in a pile in front of him.

When she returned by his side, she was surprised to see that the pile was gone, and her backpack looked like it had half of the contents it had previously.

"How did you do that?" She asked, her words filled with awe.

"I just folded things, and made them fit into each other," he grinned.

He had some papers in his hand. "I found these, I don't know if you want to keep them?"

He smoothed them and held them up.

"Some of them are papers that we have picked up along the way. The ones on top are the letters we found in Cailan's chest."

She nodded, looking down at her leather-bound journal. "Just stick them in there, we may need these later on."

He complied and then put the journal into her pack, closing it tightly afterwards.

"All done!" He said cheerfully, as he stood up, holding the pack out to her.

He helped her hang the pack on her shoulders, his cheek briefly resting against hers, and she flung her arms around her neck and kissed him quickly.

"Thanks my love. I really don't know what I would do without you," she gazed up into his warm hazel eyes lovingly.

"Probably be in a constant foul mood?"

"Alistair!"

He laughed and kissed her warmly, and they started off for Denerim, stopping by Soldier's Peak on the way.

...

Several hours later, they stood in front of the Arl, who beamed at them.

"Ah, good! You are finally here! The estate is rather large and I trust you and your companions will find it to your liking. You will be given rooms immediately. No doubt you wish to clean up and rest before dinner."

They nodded wearily in unison.

He called out for some guards then, to show them all to their sleeping quarters. Before they left, he looked at them and said, "I do have some disturbing news to share with you, if you will?"

They paused, looking at the arl, who gazed back, a troubled look in his eyes.

"I discovered, before you arrived here, that Anora has had you followed. I do not know her motives, but I wanted you to know and be especially careful now that you are all here. Alistair, she knows of your bid to the throne, as I have made my move already and alerted my allies to this. I suspect she will try her best to avoid this from happening. She is an ambitious woman, and one not to be taken lightly."

Alistair nodded at him, "I thank you for this information, Eamon."

The arl smiled at him and added, "I would like a word with you in private before you retire my boy. It is of the utmost importance."

"Of course, just lead the way," he said, and squeezed Alyssa's hand as they both turned to follow him out of the main hall.

Eamon paused for a moment, looking directly at Alyssa. "No, Alistair, I said with you. I know you will no doubt tell your wife what we will be talking about, but I need to say some things that concern only you. Please forgive us, my Lady?" He asked Alyssa kindly.

Alyssa considered slapping the man. Maybe even whipping out Starfang and thrusting it into his face. Nevertheless, she answered sweetly, "Certainly, your Grace. I'll leave for our chamber and leave you two to it, then."

Alistair thought about telling the arl that he wanted Alyssa by his side for a moment as he watched her leave, but since she had obviously agreed, he thought there was nothing to worry about and followed the arl to his study.

...

Alistair sat in front of Eamon's desk, and as he did so, his mother's amulet swung forward and it reminded him that he wanted to thank him for it. He cleared his voice to speak.

"Before you say what you want to say, I really want to thank you for this," he said as he held the amulet briefly in his hand.

Eamon looked at him blankly for the briefest of moments, his eyes settling on the necklace Alistair referred to. Then he smiled, and nodded.

"It's something really valuable to me. One of the servants, that was at Redcliffe castle under your employ when I was a child, told me that it belonged to my mother..." he trailed off, noticing Eamon's cheeks flushed a faint pink.

"Of course, I knew that, my boy," Eamon said. "I don't understand how you are wearing it right now, though," he frowned.

"Oh! Alyssa found it at Redcliffe Castle. In your study. One of the drawers in your desk was open, and she caught a glimpse of it as it lay glinting in the bright light of the room. Since I had already described the amulet to her, she took it and gave it back to me." He smiled at the memory. Love was etched all over his face.

Eamon smiled again, and waited for Alistair to continue.

"I never knew you cared so much. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate that."

There was an uncomfortable silence, as Eamon looked at some papers on his desk, and Alistair fidgeted in his chair.

Finally, Eamon looked back at Alistair and broke the silence.

"I need to talk to you about important issues, Alistair. I beg you to try to understand how important they are."

"Of course."

"I shall be plain and blunt. I know that it is nearly impossible for two Grey Wardens to produce a child. Even though you and Lady Cousland are already wed, I fear that some of the nobles at the Landsmeet may not accept her as your wife, and I need to tell you that you must consider annulling your marriage to her as soon as you take the throne. You need to produce an heir for the good of Ferelden. We cannot afford a civil war after the Blight is ended."

Alistair sat there, seemingly carved in stone, unable to say a word.

"I know how much you two love each other, but there are ways to keep her by your side, as you will have to entertain the thought of a future marriage of convenience. I beg you to consider this option. If you do insist on making her your queen, there may be attempts to undermine your reign, or assassination attempts on her brought on by Anora's people."

He paused, leaning forward as he gazed at him, a smile on his lips as he delivered his coup de grace.

"Surely, you, of all people wish her to live?"

**A/N: To all the Eamon sympathizers out there, I apologize profusely, but my idea (every time I played the game) was that Eamon was a hypocrite that would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. I believe Isolde had a lot to do with kindling his ambition. **

**I believe he wanted Alistair on the throne, not so much to preserve the Theirin bloodline. I truly feel he needed a puppet to control as he sat back and enjoyed all the privileges his position as Chancellor would give him. All this probably brewed in his mind when he discovered Cailan was dead and Alistair was alive. **

**The game shows us that he talks to the group immediately after he was brought back from his comatose state, but I really believe some time had passed before he was well enough to face the group and he had already counted his blessings, and more importantly had talked to Isolde, who is even more conniving than he is. **

**He had already broken Alistair at such a young age, by agreeing to send him away to the Chantry. I feel Isolde contributed to this a lot as she explicitly made him feel unwanted by making him sleep in the stables. **

**He probably knew that Alistair had grown up feeling that he wasn't worth anything, (easier to mold into a puppet) and would consider duty above everything else and try to do the right thing always, sacrificing his own wants and needs. He would certainly be easier to manipulate than Cailan, at any rate. **

**Concerning the plot of this story, Eamon knew that Alyssa, being a Cousland, was second-in-line for the throne, but he also knew that Alyssa had succeeded in making Alistair stand up for himself. Therefore, he considered her a threat to his thirst for power, so if Alistair and she stayed together, he would not listen at all to Eamon. Therefore, for the purpose of this story, he will try to do everything in his power to separate them. **

**Anyway, I just wanted to clear this up, lol...Whew, I babble too much, lol **


	40. Confrontation

**Wow! Forty chapters! :D Yay! **

**Sorry I took longer than usual to post this, we had a storm with gale force winds, and a power outage that lasted a whole day (and night). **

**Thanks again Raven Jadewolfe for your feedback! :D **

Chapter 40 - Confrontation

Alistair sat there for a few minutes, unable to believe what he had just heard. What the arl had just said to him, especially the last sentence, had him in a state of shock. He tried to get a grip on everything, but felt like the whole room was spinning out of control.

He focused on breathing first, he had to think, to put his thoughts into..._Maker's breath!_

He opened his mouth and shut it, and met Eamon's eyes squarely. The older man was still leaning forward and smiling at him.

He was actually smiling!

Eamon looked at Alistair. As usual, the boy was so easy to read. He could see the shock in his eyes. His mouth had actually opened at one point.

He saw Alistair was totally confused and continued to smile. He hadn't thought that this would be so easy, but he thought that his last words had probably thrown Alistair over the edge.

Then Alistair flushed a bright red, and his eyes flashed at him. Was that anger? He leaned back and frowned. Maybe he had underestimated the Cousland girl after all...

Alistair stood up quickly, with such a force, that the chair he had been sitting on toppled over with a crash. He faced the arl, feeling the anger course through his blood, through his whole body.

Eamon started as he looked up at Alistair. Maybe he had underestimated _Alistair_...

Alistair was rapidly clenching and unclenching his fists. If Eamon had known him well enough, he would have known that this was a sign that heralded danger, but he didn't know, so he just continued to stare at him, waiting to see what he would say.

He never got the chance. A servant interrupted them and announced that Loghain was waiting for him in the main hall, requesting an audience.

"Of course, we will be there immediately," Eamon replied and brushed by Alistair on the way out, who was still standing in the same spot.

Alistair then reacted, spinning around, and followed Eamon to the main hall.

...

As they approached the main hall, screams could be heard that reverberated throughout the entire estate. Alistair recognized the voice as his wife's and soon passed Eamon as he broke into a run.

When they arrived, they saw that Alyssa was yelling at a man standing next to Loghain. Her face was deep crimson as she screamed in rage at him.

Eamon knew who this man was, but Alistair had never seen him before. His wife, though smaller than the man, was actually so close to his face, that the man was looking slightly uncomfortable.

"I'll have you pay for what you have done, you murderer!"

The words reached Alistair's ears and he understood that this man, could only be none other than Rendon Howe.

"What is this?" Eamon said as he stood there, looking at the tableau before him.

Alyssa shut her mouth but continued to breathe heavily and trembled. Howe smiled oily at Eamon, and smirked at Alyssa.

Alistair put his arms around her waist, and held her closely against his chest, mostly to restrain her.

Ser Cauthrian, Loghain's personal guard, intervened. "Control yourself, you churl! You are screaming at the Arl of Denerim."

Alyssa snorted with disdain.

"Eamon, I would advise you to control your guest," Loghain said between clenched teeth.

Eamon chuckled, and found himself admiring Alyssa for standing up to two of the most powerful men in Ferelden.

"Loghain, what a surprise," Eamon said as a reply. "I find myself _honored_ that you would find the time to come and greet me personally."

Loghain bristled and stared back icily.

Alyssa was not done yet. She turned her head slightly to face Eamon and said, "I demand blood rights! This man slaughtered my entire family!" She pointed a finger at Howe, who continued to smirk.

"You are either too bold or too stupid to dare threaten the Teyrn in front of witnesses." Ser Cauthrian took a menacing step towards Alyssa.

Alyssa looked at her up and down, snorted again and ignored the woman.

Howe's voice chimed in. "You have no rights! Your family surrendered them when they sided with the Orlesians and I revealed their treachery. The Teryn of Highever is now rightfully mine."

"How dare you slander my family to my face!" Alyssa retorted.

Alistair tightened his grip on Alyssa, and murmured something into her ear. She did not continue speaking after that, though she threw a fiery glare at Howe before settling back into Alistair's arms, a small smile on her lips.

Eamon was again surprised. Alistair had managed to calm Alyssa, and the young woman actually had a smile on her face, and was now breathing evenly.

For the moment, however, he directed his focus entirely on Loghain, and ignored the other two.

"I came to try to talk you out of this fool notion of calling a Landsmeet, Eamon. There is a Blight coming and we cannot afford to be divided."

"I cannot forgive you for what you have done, Loghain. Maybe the Maker can, but not I. The Blight is exactly why I am here and why I have called for the Landsmeet to convene. Ferelden needs a king to lead its armies into victory."

"Ferelden has a strong leader, and it is Queen Anora," Loghain spat.

"The throne belongs to Maric's only living son," Alyssa said loudly.

She smiled at Loghain, no longer needing Alistair's restraint, but Alistair still had his arms around her waist.

Loghain turned to her, anger written plainly on his face.

"I was not talking to you," he said with venom.

"The throne belongs to the Theirin bloodline. Alistair will be the one to lead us to victory in this Blight," Eamon said with a sneer as he met Loghain's gaze squarely.

"Oh, is that all I have to do?" Alistair drawled. "No pressure..."

"The Emperor of Orlais also thought he could bring me down. Expect no more mercy than I showed _him_, Eamon!"

With this, Loghain promptly turned heel and strode out of the estate, closely followed by Howe and Ser Cauthrian.

"Well! That was...bracing!" Eamon exclaimed as he turned to the couple.

"Howe murdered my family and friends. I will not let him get away with that!"

"I would not expect you to," Eamon said sadly, looking into her eyes. "But he is very close to Loghain, heavily guarded and confronting him directly would only contribute to our problems."

"I suggest that you set off early tomorrow into the city and find out as much as you can from the nobles that are already here for the Landsmeet. We need eyes and ears in the city. The nobles should be at the Gnawed Noble Tavern. For now, the only thing we can do is calm down and wait."

Then he nodded to them both and added, "I will see you both at dinner," and left them standing in the main hall.

"Aww," Alistair said sighing dramatically. "I never got a chance to hit him..."

...

They took turns bathing and made love to each other, and then fell asleep in each other's arms.

Alistair was the first to wake, and looked down at Alyssa while she slept. He thought about the conversation he had had with Eamon, and anger surged through him once again.

When Alyssa woke up, the first thing she saw was Alistair's stormy face, a murderous look in his eyes.

"Maker's blood, Alistair! Why are you so angry?"

He sighed and sat up in bed, and she followed suit, waiting for his reply. He took her in his arms and pulled her onto his lap. Ignoring his reaction to her warm flesh pressed against his, he cradled her face in his hands, looking deeply into her eyes before he spoke.

"I want you to listen and try to control your temper, love. Can you promise me this?"

She nodded and swallowed, she was trembling a little because she had never seen him look so serious and devastated at the same time.

Alistair managed a weak smile and then repeated everything Eamon had said to him.

When he was done, she was unable to speak and just stared up at him.

"Yes. That was my initial reaction too," he said, a wry smile on his lips.

Alyssa gave herself a shake, and disentangled herself from Alistair's arms. Then she walked to a table that was next to the fireplace. On it lay her journal.

"I had read this before you found me yelling at Arl Howe. This is why I was in the main hall in the first place, I wanted to find the arl's study and give him a piece of my mind."

She took a loose parchment from the open journal and walked back to the bed, handing it to Alistair so he could read it.

"It was in the letters we found in Cailan's chest at Ostagar. We had overlooked it because it was stuck to another letter. It was probably humidity or mould, but I managed to pry it loose without tearing it."

Alistair looked at the parchment in his hand. It was a letter addressed to Cailan.

_Your Majesty, _

_My men will arrive as soon as possible to bolster your forces. Maker willing, this Blight will be ended before it has begun. _

_Cailan, I beseech you, as your uncle, not to join the Grey Wardens on the Field. You cannot afford to take this risk. Ferelden cannot afford it. Let me remind you again that you do not have an heir. Your death-and it pains me even to think of it-would plunge Ferelden into chaos. _

_And yes, perhaps when this is over you will allow me to bring up the subject of your heir. While a son from both the Theirin and Mac Tir lines would unite Ferelden like no other, we must accept that perhaps this can never be. The queen approaches her thirtieth year and her ability to give you a child lessens with each passing month. I submit to you again that it might be time to put Anora aside. We parted harshly the last time I spoke of this, but it has been a full year since then and nothing has changed. _

_Please, nephew, consider my words, and Andraste's grace be with you. _

_Eamon Guerrin, Arl of Redcliffe _

He was struck dumb for a few moments, his lips parting slightly with surprise. The first words out of his mouth were full of disgust.

"What kind of man is Eamon Guerrin?"

"Someone with a thirst for manipulating others, among other things," was Alyssa's dry reply.

He shook his head, and Alyssa went back to the bed, sitting beside him. She hugged him tightly.

"I won't let you go, Alistair. No matter what."

"Nor I you. I want you to know that I will never annul our marriage, I swear it!"

"I didn't think so, Alistair. I trust you," she said softly.

His arms tightened around her, and he kissed her on the crown of her head, while his hands caressed her shoulders and back.

"What do we do now?" He asked.

She broke away from his embrace to look into his eyes.

Her eyes were dancing.

"Plan B," she chuckled.

Then, she brought her lips to his, and they kissed.


	41. The Damsel in Distress

**Bioware still owns, everyone! :D **

**Thanks so much Harmakhis and Raven Jadewolfe for your awesome reviews!:D **

Chapter 41 - The Damsel in Distress

They left the arl's estate very early the next morning, Zevran and Leliana tugging behind them both clearly in need of the comfort of their own beds.

"We'll have to see about this house, and find out if we can discover what happened to all those people," Alyssa said as she looked at the parchments she held in her hands.

She was referring to papers that had been thrust into her hands at Tapsters in Orzammar, by a half-crazed dwarf. All she knew is that people had been disappearing and all the clues led to a house in one of the back alleys of Denerim.

Zevran yawned and blinked his eyes. "Lead the way, Bello Tesoro," he said.

Alistair was wide awake, despite having slept very little the night before. They had been up most of the night discussing their 'plan' among other things. He grinned to himself as he remembered the 'other things'.

He stole a glance at his love, who seemed lost in thought but also smiling to herself and he knew exactly what she was thinking. His grin broadened.

They arrived at another one of the back alleys, one that they had passed many times before. Alyssa knew they had to make their way up some stairs to the right to exit it before finally arriving to the alley where the house was.

Zevran and Alyssa were the fastest of the four and arrived to the bottom of the steps before Alistair and Leliana did.

They stopped.

A figure stood at the top of the stairs regarding them, a sardonic smile plastered on his face.

"And here is the mighty Grey Warden at long last," the man sneered down at them.

Zevran took a step and positioned him in front of Alyssa in a defensive pose.

"So they sent you, Taliesen,"

"No. I volunteered for the job, of course. I had to see for myself how the _mighty_ Zevran had gone rogue." He chuckled and his eyes focused on Zevran. "Come back with me, Zev. Everyone makes mistakes. We'll make up a story."

Alyssa took a step and stood beside Zevran.

"Of course, I'd have to be dead first," her voice was sweet as she looked up at Taliesen, one eyebrow arched.

"And I'm not about to let that happen," Zevran said firmly, his heart twisting in knots as he regarded her, drinking in her beauty and courage.

Taliesen gave a start. His eyes darted from Zevran to Alyssa, then back to Zevran again. They widened in surprise. He saw the look Zevran was giving her, and immediately realized what had happened.

"What? You've grown soft?"

Zevran blushed all the way down to the Antivan boots Alyssa had given him. When he spoke, his voice was steely and calm.

"I'm sorry _my friend_, but the answer is no. I'm never going back. And you. **You** should have stayed in Antiva."

He attacked.

Alistair's battle cry cut through the morning stillness, and twelve other Crows suddenly materialized, circling the four. Alyssa quickly danced about, disarming the various leghold traps on the ground before flinging herself at the nearest Crow.

The Crow never had a chance as Alyssa quickly and deftly cut his throat. Five others surrounded her, and she whirled around cutting them down before she danced out of the way.

She flung her arms out, and this time summoned a poisonous spider to fight along her side.

The fight was tough, but they were victorious. Taliesen lay dead on the ground before them.

Zevran whirled around to stand in front of her, his inscrutable mask gone as he faced her. His eyes screamed that he loved her as they looked into hers.

"And there it is. Taliesen is dead. And I am free of the Crows. They will assume I am dead along with Taliesen. They will not seek me out after this."

Alyssa looked at him. When she spoke, her voice was soft. "This is a good thing, isn't it?"

"A very good thing. It was what I had hoped for, ever since you decided not to kill me." Then a sadness crept into his eyes, and he hesitated for a moment before adding, "I have enjoyed your company, but I am wondering if it is time for me to leave. That would be the practical thing to do, no?"

Her face fell. In spite of everything, she _did_ care for this elf assassin, only not the way he would have liked her to.

He saw this and hurriedly added, "There is a freedom awaiting me that I have never known. But the decision is up to you. Will you let me go?"

She thought about the arl and the recent turn of events. She thought about the Blight that was still advancing on the land. She shook her head.

"I wish you could stay. There have been recent developments, and I really need your help," she said, her eyes locked on his.

"Do you? Hmmm. I suppose there are worse things I could do with my time than save the world, yes?"

"I'm asking you to stay as a friend," she said firmly and her eyes widened for a moment with shock, as she finally saw the love in his.

He recovered, and his blank inscrutable stare was back. "And who could resist such a request?" A soft chuckle escaped his lips.

"Very well, I will not abandon you," he said firmly. And for a moment his eyes seemed to say that he never would.

"Lead the way, Bello Tesoro," he bowed gracefully.

...

The arl's sitting room wasn't empty. Standing beside him was a female elf.

Alyssa planted herself in front of them both. She wanted to strangle the man, but controlled himself. They really did need his help during the Blight.

The arl smiled at her, and she bristled, but kept her anger in check.

"Ah, there you are. You left suddenly this morning, and I was hoping you would return soon. This is Erlina. She is-"

"I am Queen Anora's personal handmaiden. I have come to you because my queen needs your help." Erlina interrupted speaking in a heavy Orlesian accent.

The arl looked flustered, uncomfortable at being interrupted and Alyssa smiled. She fought the impulse to hug the elf.

"Why would Anora be asking us for help, exactly?" She inquired. Beside her, Alistair cleared his throat. She nodded slightly at this, though the movement was not registered by anyone else but Alistair who smiled softly.

"The queen, she is in a very difficult position. She trusted her father to look after her husband. But then, her father returns without her husband. She worries, no? She tries to speak with her father, but he brushes her aside and tells her nothing. Then she goes to Rendon Howe who is close to her father. She thinks he can tell her something."

"That's crazy. Howe is a lunatic, not to mention a murderer," Alyssa said truthfully.

"She asks Howe for answers. He calls her traitor and other names that a lady cannot repeat." Erlina blushes. "Now, my queen is trapped there, but asked me to find the Grey Wardens to save her."

There was something really strange about the whole story. Alyssa felt that this elf was not to be trusted.

"She has soldiers, let them rescue her," she said stiffly.

"If the palace guard besiege Howe's estate, my lady will certainly be killed before she can be reached. I think...I think she is in grave danger. I heard Howe say that she would be a greater ally dead than alive. I think they plan to blame Arl Eamon for her death."

Alyssa burst into laughter.

The arl looked at her as if she had lost her mind. Alistair's face broke into a grin and then he chuckled.

She regained her composure and faced Erlina. "Give me one good reason to believe this story." She said, and suppressed a giggle.

"You do not want Loghain ruling the country, no? And Queen Anora could help you at the Landsmeet. She could convince the nobles there to vote for you, against her father."

Alyssa grinned broadly when she heard this. The arl looked a bit relieved and directed his next comment at her.

"We have no choice but to trust what she is saying. We should rescue the queen before this comes to pass. If Loghain succeeded in pinning her death on me...I'm not sure that is a risk we can afford to take."

Alyssa burst into laughter again, and the arl now firmly believed that she _had_ lost her mind. He turned to look at Alistair, and found him grinning at her. He frowned. It looked like they were both mad. After all, the situation they were facing was serious. He suspected their behavior had something to do with them being Grey Wardens. He had heard that the Wardens were not altogether sane, fighting all the darkspawn like they did, but had never experienced their 'oddness' first hand until now.

"You're right," Alyssa said to Erlina, after successfully quieting down. "We have to help."

"I have some uniforms," Erlina said, instantly becoming businesslike. "Arl Howe hires so many guards every day, that you will not be noticed. You will blend in, yes? I will show you to the servants' entrance. We must slip in and out with my queen before anyone is the wiser. I will go ahead to the arl's estate. Meet me there when you can."

Both Alistair and she nodded at the arl and turned around to leave the room. Once outside, they made their way to the kitchen first to grab a bite to eat.

"It's a pity we can't use this to our advantage, huh?" Alistair grinned, still in a good mood.

"Yes, we need the arl until the Blight is over with. Only then can we carry out what we intend to do..."

Alistair finished his snack and turned to his wife, a lopsided grin on his face. Her eyes danced at him as she stood up. She walked out the door, making her way towards Zevran's room.

"This so-called rescue is a trap, isn't it?" He asked her as they stopped for a moment outside the assassin's door. She looked so happy that he took her in his arms and kissed her.

She broke away to look at him. "Yep!" She said grinning. "Now let's hurry. A damsel in distress awaits."

"Your desire is my command."


	42. Of Vengeance

**As usual my disclaimer: I own nothing...Bioware does! :D **

**Thanks to Harmakhis for her review! :D **

Chapter 42 - Of Vengeance

They stood in front of the entrance to the Arl of Denerim's estate, watching a crowd of people gathered at the main doors. Erlina called out to them. Alyssa and the rest of her group jogged over.

"The servants' entrance is on the other side. Howe is inside so we must be very careful."

At the mention of Howe's name, Alyssa's head jerked back to regard the elven woman with interest.

"Howe is here?" Came the question in a voice that was both rich and vibrant with raw emotion.

"Yes. We must hurry, follow me!"

"What's the crowd gathered here for?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"The estate. It is in need of repair. The new arl has not been prompt at paying his workmen."

"Figures," muttered Alyssa as she and the rest of her group followed Erlina down a path to the back of the estate.

On the way, they passed a balcony and a voice suddenly yelled, "Someone is creeping around down there, go check it out!"

She stopped and turned, her group followed suit. There were now four guards advancing towards them.

Leliana positioned herself, and started shooting fire arrows at them almost immediately, while Zevran and herself raced onward to meet the first guard and quickly dispatched him. Alistair hacked into the second one. The other two loaded crossbows to shoot bolts at them. They were too slow.

Alyssa hadn't brought Morrigan along for nothing. She yelled at her, but Morrigan had already frozen the two archers solid. She followed up by sending a stonefist spell at them which shattered them to pieces.

They turned back to head off to the back, and when they neared the entrance, Erlina stopped them.

"I can distract the guards, but you must move quickly."

"Why bother? There are only two."

"More guards patrol every hour! If they find those two missing, they will know...something is wrong." Erlina quickly answered.

"Wait!" Alyssa said. "We must put on our uniforms!"

"Hurry!" Erlina urged them. "My lady does not have much time!"

The five of them scrambled into their uniforms and Erlina told them to hide in the bushes.

They waited there till they heard Erlina walking past them talking about darkspawn to the guards. They slipped by and entered the back entrance unnoticed where they waited for Erlina to come back.

When she finally found her way to the group, she was slightly out of breath. "Ah! It took me forever to rid myself of those two. You must be careful. To the cook and servants, you will be just some other guards. Do not draw attention to yourselves. Most of the guards are new and they will not know you as strangers. But you must keep your distance and try to blend in."

"Where is Anora?" Alyssa asked.

"She is in a room off the main hall. Andraste guide our steps!"

They made their way through the various corridors that led to the main hall, passing by numerous guards along the way, but they did not falter nor stop, and soon they were standing in front of Anora's door.

Erlina whispered against the door, which seemed to be pulsating. "The Grey Wardens are here, my lady."

Anora's voice came through the door. "Thank the Maker! I would greet you properly, but I'm afraid we've had a...setback."

"Hurry up! We need to get you out of here." Alyssa urged.

Anora sighed. "Warden, my host was not content to leave me here in a locked room. He had a spell cast on the door. The door has been sealed by magic."

Alistair groaned behind her. "Great, now what?" She said flinging her arms up.

"Find the mage who cast the spell on the door. He'll most likely be at Howe's side."

Alyssa's eyes narrowed. "This sounds like a trap!" She hissed.

"Please Warden! I beg you! Do not leave my lady in here. She needs your help!" Erlina frantically begged.

"If you help me, I promise you my support at the Landsmeet!" Anora cried out.

That settled it. She had the queen's promise for support and that was all that mattered.

A voice in the back of her head warned her briefly that the queen had probably promised her support just to get her to accept, but she ignored it for now. The desire to find Howe and kill him was far greater than to back down and leave.

"All right. Where is Howe then?"

Erlina eagerly supplied the information.

_This only confirms that this is a trap. How does Erlina know where the arl's chambers are?_

Alyssa nodded to the maid once and she and her group turned around and made their way to the arl's chambers.

...

She was furious. So far the only person that had been worth meeting while vainly searching for that bastard Howe, had been the Grey Warden Riordan.

Another Grey Warden. Here, in Ferelden.

She felt relieved to say the least. At least there was one more that could help out in this Blight.

Alistair had sensed her becoming more and more frustrated as they hacked into the guards they met along the way, and opening doors revealed even more guards and other more unpleasant things, but so far no signs of Rendon Howe.

He turned to gaze at her intently as she looked at what seemed to be the last door in the maze of corridors and cells that made up the dungeon. He saw her eyes narrow and knew that she was bracing herself for what she had been looking forward to ever since she had escaped certain death that night at Cousland Castle.

Alistair suppressed a sigh, unwilling to attract attention from her at the moment. He knew that it was vengeance that was propelling her forward. Vengeance that made her react the way she was reacting. Vengeance that had turned her into this hardened version of the woman he loved.

More importantly, he knew that he would be the one to pick up the pieces once this was over.

Alyssa stared at the door for what seemed like an eternity. Then, giving her signature move that meant she was readying herself to attack, she squared her shoulders and opened the door, walking into the room before her determinedly.

...

Howe leered at them the moment they entered the room. He directed his venomous gaze on her and his lips curled into a hateful grin.

"Well, well, well. Cousland's little spitfire, all grown up and still playing the man," he spat out with hatred. "I never thought you'd be fool enough to fall for the trap and end up here. But then again, I never thought you'd live, either."

Alyssa tensed into a defensive pose, and leered back, her heart leaping with emotion as she met her foe at last. Her leer changed into a maniacal grin when she answered him.

"Glad to disappoint you, you bastard. It won't be the last time," she giggled, intoxicated with the fact that she would be fighting to the death in just a few moments.

"Is this about your family? _Still_? But I have done so much more than wipe your name from Ferelden memory. And what's left? A fool husk of a daughter, likely to end her days under a rock in the Deep Roads..." He gave a bark of a laugh.

"Even the Wardens are gone. You are the last of nothing. This is pointless. You've lost." His voice caressed her and he licked his lips.

She turned for a moment to regard Alistair.

_He's mine! _

Alistair gave her a nod. She turned back to Howe.

"I know your game, you heartless bastard! No lies. No shadows. Just you and me." Alyssa smiled sweetly at him.

They gazed at each other for a few seconds.

Then she attacked-Starfang and The Rose's Thorn glittering in her hands briefly, then blurring as they whirled around madly, seemingly coming to life as they sought to sheath themselves in the traitor's body.

The others focused on the two mages and four guards in the room.

The fight was the worst they had fought so far. Leliana and Zevran both summoned poisonous spiders to fight with the rest of the group, while Morrigan stunned everyone with a Mind Blast spell to begin with.

One of the mages was a shape shifter. Morrigan laughed as she froze him and one of the guards under a winter's grasp spell then used stonefist to shatter them. She actually cackled before turning her attention to the rest of the fight before her.

Alistair and Zevran hacked away and soon had finished off the rest of the enemies. Only Alyssa and Howe remained, circling each other, a deadly look in their eyes.

Alistair watched the whole fight with his heart in his mouth, willing himself forcibly to not intervene. He knew that he had to let her deal with it, but the fact that she could die in this fight, was making it too difficult for him not to rush to her side and protect her.

A cry came from her mouth as Howe's blade connected with her arm, and blood spurted from the wound. He held his breath and stepped forward, but before he could defend her properly, Morrigan had healed her and he stopped, still watching closely.

Howe became confident once he saw how easily he had wounded her and gave a cry, hoping to sweep her off her feet. She went through the motions of falling, and he rushed forward, an insane look of triumph in his eyes.

Alyssa stopped a few seconds away from the floor and kicked, sending him sprawling to the floor. His weapons shot out of his hands as he hit the floor loudly, knocking the wind out of him for a few seconds.

She sat on him, straddling him, Starfang poised over her head for a brief second. Then crying out, she buried the sword into his chest directly into his heart.

"For the Couslands!" She yelled. She pulled the sword out of him only to stab him again and again, each time crying out something different, but the same...

"For Mother! For Father! For Oren! For Oriana! For Nan! For Ser Gilmore! For Mother Mallol!" She started sobbing, still stabbing and screaming out the names of all those close to her that had perished that dreadful night.

Alistair walked over and held her back, tears streaming down his face. He stilled her arm, and took her sword, laying it down gently beside her. Then he took her in his arms, and held her close.

She stood there, staring down at Howe's still and bloody corpse before her. Then she took a deep breath and the tears started, and she clung to him as she sobbed, her body shaking uncontrollably.

Zevran and Leliana looked away, unshed tears glistening in Zevran's eyes, while Leliana wept quietly. Morrigan looked on, her eyes suspiciously moist.

After a while she quieted down, and looked into Alistair's eyes. Raising a hand to his face, she wiped his tears away and smiled. He stifled a sob and thought he had never seen anything more beautiful than that smile, and brought his lips down to hers kissing her tenderly.

And the world began to spin again.

...

As they left the estate, Alyssa could not help but think that fate truly favored them. They had managed to fight their way and kill all the guards, not only Ser Cauthrien but the rest of them as well. She marveled at their skills and thanked the Maker silently.

She led them to the Gnawed Noble Tavern, where she spoke to Arl Wolfe first and then to the rest of the nobles gathered there. She managed to persuade them to vote against Loghain in the Landsmeet. Then, as she turned to leave, Alistair grabbed hold of her hand.

"My love, let them go back without us, let's just stay and relax here for a bit. You've been through so much..."

She gave him a brilliant smile, in spite of feeling exhausted. The last straw had been Anora's betrayal when she denied that they were there to rescue her. That had led to the battle that had nearly killed them. If not for Morrigan's offensive spells and healing, she was sure that they would be all dead or captured by now. She made a mental note to get Morrigan something nice.

"I think we all deserve some rest. Let's just go back, I want nothing else but a bath and a hot dinner right now."

His eyebrow shot up and his eyes glinted mischievously. "Nothing else?"

She giggled. "Well, maybe _something_ else..."

They made their way back into the estate. Alyssa felt fully relaxed and was looking forward to spending the evening with Alistair.

When they entered the main hall, she saw servants scurrying about, all of them in various stages of excitement and nervousness.

She caught the words 'the queen' in one conversation. Holding her hand out, she stopped the servant and asked her what was happening.

"Oh, my lady! It's the queen! She is staying here at the estate!"

They all stopped in their tracks and Alistair turned to look at her, his face going through various stages of emotion, the last of them anger.

"That lying, deceiving little bitch," Alistair muttered under his breath as they made their way to the arl's sitting room.

Zevran, Leliana and Morrigan excused themselves and walked off to their rooms, and Alyssa turned to Alistair.

"Let's go see what the bitch says," she said through clenched teeth, and they walked into the arl's sitting room, holding each other's hand firmly.


	43. Trust and Deception

**Thanks so much to Harmakhis for her feedback and for all those who have added this story to their favorites. You all are awesome. :D **

**Another twist to the game, hope you like it. Alistair sure didn't! LOL **

**And yes, Bioware _still _owns. **

Chapter 43 - Trust and Deception

Alyssa forced herself to calm down as she grasped on to what little control she had left. She was exhausted from what had happened back at Howe's estate and just wanted to stop staring into this stupid woman's innocent blue eyes, that regarded her with something akin to fear at the moment.

She drew strength from Alistair's hand in her own, that was softly squeezing hers.

"Well, this is a surprise, _Your Highness_," she said giving the woman an icy stare.

Eamon made it worse as he blurted out his greeting to her.

"Maker's breath! It's good to see you in one piece, my friend!"

Alyssa turned an accusing stare on Eamon, and he flinched.

"What is _**she**_ doing here, Eamon?"

Eamon was unsure of what was happening, but in the little time he had known Alyssa, knew that she was necessary to carry out his plans so he quickly tried to compose himself.

He didn't do a good job.

"Er-am I missing something here?" He stammered, a flush creeping over his cheeks.

Anora rose to the occasion, blushing slightly, going through practiced and calculated facial expressions and movements.

_Bitch! _

"Eamon, something happened to put the Warden in such an emotional state. I must explain..."

Alyssa interrupted her. "You betrayed me!" Her eyes flashed at Anora.

Anora did not balk. "Well, what did you _expect_ me to do? You announced me to my father's most trusted lackey! Did you not wonder why I was **disguised**?"

"You do realize that we could have been killed? Who would have helped you against the Civil War then?" She said, still keeping her anger in check. "More importantly, who would have saved Ferelden from the Blight? But of course, I've forgotten that the only thing that really matters is keeping the queen safe. The lives of people killing each other in a Civil War, or the lives of the whole nation suffering death or worse during a Blight matter very little. Isn't that right, _Your Highness_?"

Anora put a hand over her mouth, and her eyes widened in shock and fear.

_Maker, she was good! _

Nobody spoke for a few minutes. Alistair cleared his throat.

"Well, as much as I'm enjoying the silence in the room, we should be discussing what happens now. There is an obvious reason you are here, and not with your father, Anora. What is it that you want?" His voice, strong and even, broke them out of their present state.

Anora looked at him, gave him a small smile, and blushed, her eyes lowering gracefully.

_What? She's-flirting with him? No...I'm seeing things! Breathe, Alyssa, breathe. You're just tired. _

Alyssa looked at Alistair, and found plain anger and disgust written all over his face.

_Bless him! Thank the Maker for Alistair! _

Anora lifted her eyes to him and batted her long eyelashes, softly smiling, then turned to Alyssa.

"I shall speak plainly. I was hoping that in spite of the recent events, we could work together. We need to stop my father, and quickly. He has gone mad, gripped with a paranoia so severe, it is destroying everything he touches. He will not see sense and he will continue to see me as a threat."

She paused, as if to give her words more meaning and then continued, shooting another coveted glance at Alistair, who shifted uncomfortably beside Alyssa.

Alyssa ignored the exchange even though she felt a tiny hint of jealousy. She didn't want to ignore it, truth be told, but it wouldn't do for her to murder the queen in front of everybody.

"He may have already talked to the nobles, convincing them that you have kidnapped and mind-controlled me. He probably believes it as well."

"Is there no way to reason with him?" Alyssa asked, her eyebrows furrowed together as she frowned.

"I don't think so Warden. Even though Howe's death is a very good thing, I know my father, and he will not stop at anything and **will** see this through, no matter what."

_Ah, father and daughter are so alike! _

Alyssa smiled, and Anora blinked.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Anora went on speaking. It seemed as though she was determined to say everything at once, so Alyssa let her talk.

"You will need ammunition come the Landsmeet, and it is there that I can help you Warden. You've only just arrived and do not know what is happening in the city. People are suffering and upset since Ostagar. There is much unrest on the streets, but it is worse in the Elven Alienage. Elves refuse to join my father's army and take up arms to defend their city against the Blight and are angry. I think Howe and my father are to blame. I don't know what is happening there, but I'm certain that my father has his hands in it."

Alyssa digested this information quickly.

"This is a useful lead, Anora," Eamon said smiling at her, "but you could have sent this information with Erlina."

"The truth of the matter is that I had hoped that we could join forces. You need this information for the Landsmeet, but you also need a stronger candidate for the throne. You need **me**."

Alistair chuckled. All eyes turned on him. He still looked amused under their stares and his eyes twinkled.

Anora gave him a bright smile and her eyes were warm. She turned her full attention on him, her lips parting slightly, giving him a look that could only be described as sultry.

_Yep! She's flirting with him alright! And in front of everybody! _

Alyssa turned to Alistair, who was now blushing, looking very uncomfortable. She squeezed his hand meaningfully and he started, looking at her with wide eyes. No guilt in them, they were filled with terror.

She gave him a small smile, and Anora turned to look at her, her eyes briefly falling to their locked hands. Realization finally dawned on her, and she blushed.

_Liar! Hypocrite! Two-faced baboon! Mon-_

"So, what of the arl's bid to put me on the throne? What do you say about that?" Alistair asked her, forcing her to look back at him and interrupting the string of expletives in Alyssa's brain.

She turned her charm on him, and was more subtle this time. "Oh, I have no doubt that you are **biddable** enough." Alistair blushed as he caught the innuendo. "But even with your blood, Alistair, you are no king. Not only that, you are a Grey Warden. And if you take the throne, it will seem like a Grey Warden is taking the throne."

She turned to Alyssa then, "And if you put him on the throne, it will look like you are putting a Grey Warden on the throne, despite your claims."

Then she looked at Eamon. "I am a neutral party, and am already Queen. Who did you think truly ruled this nation for the last five years? Cailan? I am what this country truly needs. I can stop my father. Alistair, you do not even _want_ the throne."

The tension in the air was evident, and the silence was deafening. Anora smiled at them all, and then delivered a parting shot.

"Consider what I have said. For now, I will retire to my room." She turned to Alyssa. "Warden, when you have a moment, I would like to talk to you in private."

She turned and walked slowly and in a very dignified manner out of the room, leaving them standing there, in a state of mild shock.

...

(Alyssa's PoV)

Eamon recovered first and started speaking about Anora's ability to control Cailan. I interrupted him after a few sentences.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but we are exhausted and haven't had dinner or a chance to clean up after the day's _activities_. We should get going. We have a lot to do tomorrow."

Eamon agreed, but delivered a plea before we left. "Of course. But please call me Eamon. I'd like to make a suggestion if I may?" I nodded and he continued. "Please go see what it is Anora has to speak about before you retire. She will either be a powerful ally or a powerful enemy, and it would be beneficial for us to find out which."

"Yes, _Your Grace_." I'll do that as soon as I leave the room."

Eamon sighed.

I squeezed Alistair's hand and whispered for him to stay as I made my way to Riordan, whom I had spotted in a corner of the room. He looked happy to see me.

I liked Riordan. I asked him as much as I could about Duncan and the order, and he answered happily. Then I asked him about the Grey Warden vault and he gave me the codes to get it open, stating that I could take whatever I wished.

Thanking him, I went over to where Alistair stood and gave him a smile. We nodded to Eamon and left the room.

"Alyssa, about Anora..." Alistair's voice trailed off as I turned to face him. There was a nervous look on his face, and I smiled.

"Alistair, it's all right," I murmured.

He shook his head vehemently. "No. No, it isn't! It caught me completely by surprise, but I want you to know that I could never have any feelings for her. You are the only one, and if I have my say, there will never be anyone else."

"I know, my love," I crooned. "But I think I should go and talk to her alone. Don't worry, I promise I'll be very cunning and will control my temper. I won't even glare." I grinned.

As it turned out, Anora's room was right next to ours.

"Yeah, it figures," I thought as I kissed Alistair on the cheek and opened Anora's door without knocking first.

...

The meeting with Anora went well, all things considering.

Upon entering her room, the queen had dissolved in apologies, and that had put a smile on Alyssa's face. She found herself wondering who the queen was by the time Anora finished with the apologies.

Anora then went on to say that she was deeply sorry about what had happened to her family. It was then that she frowned and remained serious throughout the rest of the conversation as she was again reminded of how astute and so very clever the queen was. She was a master at playing people, using their emotions to suit her needs.

She gave the queen another small smile, and she found herself promising her her support during the Landsmeet.

Anora was completely taken aback and blinked several times, before regaining composure and giving Alyssa a bright smile.

Alyssa elaborated, quickly choosing the right words.

"I just know that Alistair doesn't want the throne. He is a Grey Warden, and that is all he wants to be. It's amazing that you would notice that, Your Majesty."

Anora's face broke into a genuine and very relieved grin. "Warden, you have my thanks. I will support you at the Landsmeet to bring my father down. I believe we might just be successful. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

"Well, yes." Alyssa said thoughtfully. "Please don't say a word of this to Eamon. His heart is set on Alistair becoming king, and I wouldn't want to disappoint him. He is a powerful ally for the Blight, you see, and very dear to Alistair."

Anora smiled again. "Of course, Warden, I will keep it to myself. I see we have an understanding. I trust you will keep your side of the bargain."

Alyssa nodded and smiled and left the room.

Pausing outside to gather herself, she chuckled, before heading to her room where a hot meal, a bath and Alistair hopefully awaited.

...

The estate was silent, and inside the arl's study, a shadowy figure disengaged himself from the wall and advanced, pausing at the desk in the middle of the room.

He opened the drawers silently, going through various papers and parchments, reading them over before discarding them and putting them back.

The long, slender fingers of his right hand inched on top of the wooden surface of the desk, searching for something.

After a while, an audible click was heard and a secret compartment flew open. His hands went over the papers there, pausing to read each one. Then, finding two papers that looked exceedingly important, he took them and slid the compartment back into its place.

Zevran slid out of the study, and sneaked along the shadows. He was a master of stealth after all, and it was a quick trip down the various corridors until he reached his room.

Opening the door, his shadowy form slid inside.

Alyssa was going to be extremely happy when he gave her the papers.


	44. Preparing for the Landsmeet

**Short and sweet, lol :D **

**Bioware still owns as usual...**

Chapter 44 - Preparing for the Landsmeet

Alyssa looked at the papers she held in her hands, her emotions torn between belief and anger **and** disbelief and shock.

One of them held a list of half a dozen names. All Banns. All noble families with **_eligible_** daughters. She began to tremble slightly.

_Altea, daughter of Bann Leon_

_Melissa, daughter of Bann Toyrn_

_Aurea, daughter of Bann Seymor_

_Cathaline, daughter of Bann Carlin_

_Gertrude, daughter of Bann Ferdinand_

_Elaine, daughter of Bann Anton_

_Contact the Banns after the Blight is done. Ball to introduce their daughters to Alistair after the Coronation. _

Alistair had already finished reading the paper, and slipped an arm around her waist.

She read the other parchment next. It was a draft, and that it had been left in the arl's desk, suggested that he had already written and sent another letter. And probably more to other Banns as well.

_To Bann Loren,_

_I write you in a concerned and agitated frame of mind, and urge you to listen to my words. _

_As you know, I have called for a Landsmeet to convene. The rumors are true, and Maric's son is alive and well. He is a bastard, but of the Theirin bloodline, which should be what matters. Unfortunately, he has recently married, and his wife is not suitable as I know without a doubt that she is barren._

_You and I have discussed before the importance of continuing the Theirin bloodline. We must make sure that this marriage is annulled immediately after our new king's coronation and that Maric's only living son takes another wife, one that is more fitting to become his queen, one that can bear him an heir. _

_I assure you that if you give me your unconditional support in this matter, I will personally see to it that the King grant you further titles and lands as is fit. _

_Thank you my friend,_

_Eamon Guerin, Arl of Redcliffe_

"Maker's breath!" Alistair cursed as he finished reading the letter.

She began pacing the room. Alistair, Zevran and Leliana watching her every step.

"We have to be very careful with this in order to use it to our advantage. We now know that there will be nobles that support him during your coronation Alistair. I have no doubt that he will call for a meeting right after you are crowned king and you make him your regent or advisor."

Alistair snorted at this, but she only smiled and continued talking.

"He won't act during the Landsmeet. The nobles gathered there are going to support you as king, against Loghain and the Blight, which will be the only thing on the agenda that day. No, he plans to pull this off immediately after your coronation, when he will most likely call for a meeting specifically to decide on what to do with me. He'll probably have our marriage annulled then. Still, I have an idea which can put us a step ahead during the Landsmeet."

She stopped talking and turned to look at them.

"Leliana and Zevran, I have a job for you both." She gave them a brilliant grin.

...

She left the estate, ignoring Alistair's protests and made her way towards the Gnawed Noble Tavern. Arriving to her destination she paused and continued down the alley. Just as Riordan had said, there was a door at the end, leading to an old warehouse.

Once inside, she made her way to the back of the warehouse. Two bookcases stood in front of a wall. She pushed them aside and worked with the door behind, following Riordan's instructions to the letter. Then she opened the door.

She looked through all the chests and cabinets in the room, pausing after she checked a nearby armor stand. Her eyes widened, surprised at what she found there.

She took the shield and imagined the look on Alistair's face, and grinned.

Not finding anything else inside worth taking, she left the place, carefully shutting the door behind her.

It was time to pay a visit to the Elven Alienage.

...

Alyssa stood in front of the blood mage, fury pumping through her veins as she sneered.

He had actually suggested making a deal to spare his life. She still could not believe what she had discovered. And the fact that human beings could be so depraved and evil filled her with anger and made her sick.

Pivoting around, she severed the mage's head and proceeded to hack into his remaining guards with the rest of her companions.

Once they had successfully slain all the guards, Alyssa searched Caladrius's body and found papers that directly tied Loghain to the slave trading that had been taking place in the alienage. She pocketed them quickly.

She then turned to the elves trapped in cages in the room. Alistair and the rest helped her release them.

Valendrian stood in front of her, unsure of her presence and timely rescue.

"Are you one of them? What happens to us now?" He asked, his voice calm and even.

"Are you Valendrian? Shianni was looking for you." Alyssa looked kindly into his eyes and gave him a soft smile.

"Shianni? She sent you here? Thank the Maker!"

Alyssa's smile deepened. "I was happy to help, Valendrian."

"You're a Warden, aren't you?"

Alyssa let out a laugh and nodded. "Is it that obvious?"

Valendrian smiled kindly at her. "We will not trespass on your graces any longer. Warden, if you can, I ask you to come see me before you leave the Alienage. Come, everyone, let's go home."

The rest of the elves followed him out of the room and Alyssa turned to Alistair. The happiness in her made her burst out laughing and she practically jumped into his waiting arms.

...

Arl Eamon gazed at the papers in his hand and was struck dumb for a few moments.

"Maker's breath! I am appalled that slavery would be taking place here, fueled by Loghain himself!" He handed the papers back to Alyssa, with a trembling hand.

"When are you calling for the Landsmeet to convene, Your Grace?" Alyssa asked immediately.

"As soon as all the nobles who support me have arrived. I'm told that there is still one that is missing, he may arrive tomorrow. If that is the case, the Landsmeet will take place tomorrow evening."

"Very well."

She turned to move to the door, closely followed by Alistair. The arl stopped them both but spoke to Alistair.

"I just want to tell you how pleased I am that you have accomplished all this. It shows me how much you resemble your father, Alistair, and it fills me with pride that you follow in his footsteps. You will make a fine king."

"I am merely following my wife. You should be admiring her. All this is her doing."

For a moment the arl was silent. His face looked old and tired. He turned to Alyssa, and his eyes looked sad. Isolde chose to make an appearance at that very moment.

"My husband, you look tired. Wardens, if you would excuse us?" Her voice was pleasant but her eyes cold.

"Of course. We were just retiring."

They walked out of the room and Alyssa closed the door behind her. Alistair looked at her and saw her frown.

"What is it, love?"

"I was just thinking of how much a woman can influence a man, my love..."

"Oh. Yes, well, of _that_ I have no doubt!" He laughed.

She swatted him on the arm.

"Ow! What's that for?" He complained as he rubbed his arm.

"That's for being so cheeky! And this," she paused as she gave him a passionate kiss, "is for being so handsome and irresistible."

"Hmmm. Could you elaborate on that when we reach our room?" He murmured, his voice deep with desire.

"Maybe," she said and sprinted to their room, laughing all the way as Alistair ran after her.

...

They were laughing in each other's arms, and Alistair began kissing her, as he maneuvered her towards the bed. He stopped, confused, when his hands touched metal on the bed, instead of the soft mattress. Frowning, he looked down, and as he did, Alyssa broke into a grin, waiting for his reaction.

On the bed was a shield. The familiar Warden crest stood out, a silver griffon poised for battle on a blue field, its talons reaching and wings spread out.

_Maker's breath! That was Duncan's shield! _

Alistair's eyes widened in shock and amazement. His fingers traced the griffon and he turned to Alyssa.

"This shield. It's...Duncan's...isn't it?"

She nodded, her eyes full of love and tenderness.

He glanced back at the shield and picked it up, feeling and looking at it closely. Words seemed to have failed him for the briefest of moments. He set it down after a while beside the bed and turned to her, his eyes suspiciously moist.

"I had no idea his shield wasn't with him when he..." He paused, trying to get a grip on his emotions.

"I thought you might want it," she said simply, but he knew she had remembered the time, so long ago, when he had voiced his regret on not having something of Duncan's to carry with him, to remember him by.

"Maker's breath, Alyssa. I don't know what I have done to deserve you, my love!" He took her in his arms and embraced her. He buried his head in her neck and hair, so when he spoke, his voice was muffled.

"Thank you. I will treasure it...always!"


	45. The Landsmeet

**Wow! Thanks to Raven Jadewolfe, Saga Svanhildr, Virginia Gale and Harmarkhis for the reviews! You all made my day! I want to also thank everyone for favoring this story and for following it so closely! Yay! :D **

**This story is slowly, but surely, reaching its end. :( **

**On the bright side, there are more surprises in store until then. ;)**

**And yes, Bioware still owns! :D **

Chapter 45 - The Landsmeet

She practically kicked open the doors leading to the throne room, where the Landsmeet was taking place. Alistair moved close beside her, a determined look on his face. Eamon was saying something, and had some of the nobles clapping.

Alyssa made a beeline for Loghain, who was now replying to Eamon. He went on about Maric's son who was Eamon's puppet, and demanded to know who the puppeteer was.

The crowd parted for her and Alistair, until she was standing in front of Loghain, who sneered at her.

"Ah! And here we have the puppeteer! Tell us Warden, how much did the Orlesians offer you? How much is the price of Ferelden honor now?"

Her voice rang clear and true as she shouted out her reply.

"The Blight is the real threat here, not Orlais."

Bann Alfstanna spoke out, nodding in agreement as she did so.

"Indeed! There are enough refugees in my bannorn now to make that abundantly clear!"

Arl Wulff's voice chimed in. "The south has fallen, Loghain! Will you let the darkspawn take the whole country because of your fear of Orlais?"

Loghain looked up at Wulff, his eyes looked concerned as he replied. "The Blight is indeed real, Wulff, but do we need the Grey Wardens to end it? They claim that they alone can end the Blight, yet they failed spectacularly at Ostagar. And they asked to bring along with them four legions of chevaliers. And once we open our borders to the chevaliers, can we expect them to simply go back to where they came from?"

Alyssa smiled sweetly at him and spoke. "You allowed Rendon Howe to imprison and torture innocents."

True to his word, Bann Sighard spoke out, supporting her claim. "The Warden speaks truly! My son was taken under cover of night. The things done to him...some of them are beyond any healer's skill!"

Loghain turned to look at her, pure hatred in his eyes. If looks could kill she would certainly be dead now.

"Howe was responsible for himself. He will answer to the Maker for all the wrongs he committed in his life. As we all will one day. But you know that. You were the one who murdered him. Whatever Howe did, he should have been brought before the seneschal. There is no justice in butchering a man in his home."

Alyssa could barely control her anger. Her voice shook slightly as she replied.

"Is there justice in selling the elves as slaves to the Tevinters?"

Bann Sighard's voice was angry as he looked at the papers in his hand, that were being passed around so that the nobles could all take a look at them.

"What's this? There is no slavery in Ferelden! What have you done, Loghain? Explain yourself!"

"I did what I had to do for the good of Ferelden, despite what you may think..."

"Was sending a blood mage to Redcliffe in order to poison Arl Eamon also for the good of Ferelden?" Alyssa sneered.

"I assure you Warden, if I were to send someone it would be my own soldiers. I would not trust to the discretion of an apostate."

"Indeed? My brother tells a very different tale. He says you snatched a blood mage from the Chantry's justice. Coincidence?" Bann Alfstanna demanded.

The Grand Cleric was furious. "Do not think the Chantry will overlook this, Loghain! Interference in a Templar's sacred duty is an offense against the Maker!"

Voices of disapproval and anger could now be heard humming in the background. All against Loghain.

"What have you done with my daughter?" Loghain clutched at his final card, hoping it would rattle the woman before him.

"What have I done? I've protected her from you." Alyssa calmly replied, as her grin deepened.

"You took my daughter, the queen, by force and killed her guards in the process. Does she even still live?"

"I believe I can speak for myself," Anora said, as she walked over to stand in front of them.

"Lords and ladies of Ferelden here me! The man who stands in front of you is no longer the Hero of River Dane. This man refused to come to your king's aid, and turned his back on him, leaving him to die at the hands of the darkspawn in Ostagar. This man betrayed King Cailan and left him to die! This man seized the throne, before Cailan's body lay cold, and locked me up so I would not reveal his treachery! I would already be dead, if not for the Grey Wardens."

"The Queen speaks the truth..." Alyssa said in a strong voice.

"So the Wardens have poisoned you against me, Anora?" Loghain's voice was full of defeat. Yet he still raised his voice and urged the nobles to stand with him against the Blight.

The nobles were swayed. All of them there, representing the Bannorn voted against Loghain and in favor of the Grey Wardens. The only one that sided with Loghain was Bann Cerolic.

The nobles cheered for the wardens. They had won.

Loghain would not have any of this, and made his move to fight. The nobles there expressed their anger, and Alyssa's shout quieted everyone in the chamber.

"We will settle this honorably! Call off your men, Loghain!"

"Then let us end this! A man is made by the quality of his enemies. Maric told me this once. I wonder if it's more a compliment to you than to me. Enough. Let the Landsmeet declare the terms of the duel." Loghain turned to face the nobles.

"It shall be fought according to tradition: a test of arms, in single combat, until one party yields. And we who are assembled will abide by the outcome," said Bann Alfstanna clearly.

"Will you face me yourself, or do you have a champion?" Loghain asked Alyssa.

"Alistair is my champion."

"Then let us test the mettle of this would-be-king. Prepare yourself!" Loghain growled at Alistair.

They circled each other slowly. Loghain was strong and confident that he could take this young boy down. He was but a puppet after all.

What he did not count on was that while he may have been stronger, Alistair was fueled by vengeance and he would not fail his brother wardens.

The fight lasted a few minutes, and ended with an assault on Loghain so savage that he went on one knee and yielded.

"There is something of Maric in you after all!" Loghain said, a smile on his face as he stood up.

"Forget Maric!" Alistair snarled. "This is for Duncan!" Then, taking Duncan's sword firmly in his hands, he pivoted around and neatly severed Loghain's head.

Anora fell on her knees and cried. The nobles gathered around, and Alyssa and Alistair looked down at Loghain's body coldly.

"Then it is settled. Alistair will take his father's throne," Eamon said.

"What? When was this settled? Has this already been settled?" Alistair looked around, his eyes resting on Alyssa.

"He refuses the throne! Everyone here has heard him! I think he clearly abdicates in favor of me!" Anora said hurriedly.

"You are hardly the person to settle this dispute, Anora. Warden!" Eamon turned to Alyssa. "Will you help us?"

"Yes. I can settle this." Alyssa said quietly.

"As arbiter of this dispute, what is your decision? Who will lead Ferelden?"

"Alistair will be king." Alyssa said, as she knelt and declared her fealty immediately.

Everyone in the room did the same.

Alistair cleared his throat to speak. "Rise, Alyssa of the Grey."

Alyssa did so. Eamon looked at Alistair. He was awed at the command and calmness in his voice and demeanor.

Alistair turned to Anora. "For the moment, Anora, you will be imprisoned. I will deal with you after the Blight. And I assure you it will not be pleasant."

Anora paled, and was taken away by the guards.

He turned to the nobles assembled in the room. Everyone was quiet, waiting for the new king to speak.

"Lords and ladies of Ferelden. We have a Blight to fight. I may be king, and Maric's son, but I am also a Grey Warden. I took an oath to protect the people against the Blight and I will honor this oath. When I return, I will take up my duties as king, following my coronation. In the meantime, I present to you my fellow Grey Warden. She is the daughter of the former Teryn of Highever. As second in line to the throne, she will be my regent, and the commander of my armies."

He turned to Alyssa, a grin visible on his face that spread from ear to ear. "Shall we finish this together?"

"I could do no less, my king," she bowed.

The crowd went mad, cheering him. Amidst the cheers, Eamon stared at the whole scene before him, his mouth agape in amazement.

...

Alyssa and the rest of her companions waited for him in the main hall, and nobody spoke. The door finally opened and Alistair walked in. He strode immediately to Alyssa and took her in his arms, spinning her around as he laughed. Then, he bent down and kissed her passionately.

She broke away to gaze into his warm amber eyes.

"I'm impressed, my love." Her voice held endless admiration for him.

He laughed softly. "I had the best teacher," his forehead rested on hers briefly. "Eamon has already left for Redcliffe. He told me that the armies are gathering there. We will leave for Redcliffe in the morning."

"I love you," she said simply looking up into the warm eyes that were now caressing her.

"And I love you. Always."

He led her away towards their room, still holding her closely.


	46. The Siege at Redcliffe

**This is the longest chapter to date. Sorry about that, but I discovered that I really couldn't split it in two. **

**Thanks so much Harmakhis for your awesome review. :D **

Chapter 46 - The Siege at Redcliffe

Alyssa and her companions arrived in Redcliffe quicker than they thought. Burning, overturned wagons met their eyes. What had happened here?

Alyssa spotted a villager on the bridge and quickly ran up to him, Alistair and Zevran right behind her.

"You're the Grey Warden, aren't you?" The villager asked excitedly. "Thank the Maker you arrived when you did! I thought these monsters would kill me for sure!"

"What has happened here? Where is everyone?" Alyssa asked the man with a worried frown.

"They all fled to the castle when the darkspawn arrived. I thought I could get to my house and back but they cut me off."

"We'll take care of this. You should get to safety."

"I'm going to get out of here before it's too late," the villager said as he ran off.

They went into the village first. All of them fought the darkspawn there, and cut through them easily. There were two ogres and Zevran and Alyssa took care of one, while Sten and Leliana took care of the other.

Shale and Pawn were busy killing off some hurlocks and Morrigan and Wynne were firing offensive spells and healing the others when necessary.

Once they were done with the darkspawn in the village, they made their way to the castle.

The castle was teeming with darkspawn as well. Alyssa counted two emissaries, and Alistair quickly drained their mana in succession. They fought and fortunately killed them off before any of Arl Eamon's soldiers could die.

An ogre alpha made its appearance towards the end and rushed towards Morrigan and Wynne. Alyssa made a beeline for it, and kept it at bay, while Sten and Alistair dispatched it.

One of the arl's soldiers approached her as soon as the ogre lay dead.

"My lady! You are here! Thank the Maker!"

"What has happened? Did the darkspawn arrive here before the armies?"

"I don't rightly know, my lady! I was told to send out a scouting group to look for you and tell you that they are waiting for you at the castle. It is important that you follow me there. Riordan arrived this morning."

"Riordan is here? Take us inside immediately, soldier." Alistair said.

"Yes, Your Highness. This way, please."

...

Riordan met them in the main hall, where Eamon, Teagan and some of the arl's knights were.

"It is a relief to see you unharmed. And you as well, Alistair," Riordan bowed to Alistair.

"What has happened here, Riordan?" Alistair asked.

"The darkspawn that attacked Redcliffe are relatively few in number, I'm afraid. We all assumed that the horde was marching in this direction, but that's not true."

Arl Eamon then intervened. "Riordan tells us that the horde is heading towards Denerim. They are perhaps two days away from the capital."

Alistair groaned. They had just left Denerim!

He turned to Riordan again. "How certain are we of this?"

"I ventured close enough to 'listen in'. I am quite certain."

Alistair swore under his breath.

"Then we need to march at once," Alyssa said calmly.

"There is one more piece of news that is of greater concern, I'm afraid. The archdemon has shown itself. The dragon is at the head of the horde!"

"Maker preserve us!" Teagan exclaimed.

"But we won't be able to reach Denerim in two days! It's too far! " Alistair said.

"We must begin a forced march to the capital immediately with what we have. Denerim must be defended at all costs."

"The archdemon is what is important," Alyssa said.

"And only Grey Wardens can defeat the archdemon. This is why we must go," Riordan added.

"Then we march, and hope the army collected here gives us the chance we need. Arl Eamon," Alistair turned to Eamon, "how long before the army can set out?"

"By daybreak, Your Majesty."

"Then let's get them ready. I won't leave all those people to die."

"I will give the order at once, and notify you as soon as we are ready to march."

"Excellent," Alistair nodded.

"Then if everything is settled, I wish to see you both in my room before you retire. I have some important Grey Warden business to discuss with you," Riordan said.

"We'll be there shortly," Alistair said. He turned to Teagan. "Teagan, we need to have a word with you, could you come with us to our room?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," Teagan said.

"Please," Alistair said, a smile on his face. "Call me Alistair, Teagan."

...

Teagan's face looked ashen and his eyes were wide with shock. He was holding three pieces of paper in his hands.

He had just finished reading the letter Eamon had sent to Cailan, the list of eligible nobles for Alistair, and the draft to Bann Loren written by Eamon.

"By the Maker! This is...terrible! I knew Eamon had changed considerably since he married Isolde, but I had no idea he would be capable of doing these things!"

He turned to Alistair, sadness in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Alistair. I didn't know how he was treating you either, while you were growing up here. I was too busy at home, organizing things. The only time I came by was when you were being sent off to the Chantry. I was appalled at Eamon and Isolde's cruelness in making you sleep in the stables."

"It's all right, Teagan. You couldn't have known," Alistair said kindly.

"No, it isn't all right. I should have been here more for you. I was here when Maric gave you to Eamon. He told Eamon he wanted you treated like his son, and properly fed and taken care of."

Alistair stiffened slightly at the mention of his father. "I...would prefer not to talk about that, to be honest," he said quietly.

"Of course, Alistair."

"We're showing you this for a reason, Teagan. We are going to need your help," Alyssa said.

"Please, I will do what I can," came Teagan's sincere reply.

"Well, we're going to need to put your brother in his place, Teagan," Alistair said, his eyes twinkling. "It seems that he is so worried about an heir to the throne, that he wants to put Alyssa aside, and I won't allow that. So we are going to need you to help us stop him."

"His ambition knows no boundaries. It's fueled by Isolde, I'm sure," Teagan said.

"Yes, well...I believe he thinks that I will name him Chancellor once the Blight is over," Alistair grinned.

"We have a plan, Teagan, we'd like to let you in on it so your brother gets exactly what he deserves," Alyssa's eyes were dancing.

"I will help and do whatever you ask me to," Teagan said.

"Good," Alistair said. "How would you like to be Chancellor and my lead advisor once I am crowned king, Teagan?"

"It would be an honor, Alistair," Teagan said bowing.

"Then it is settled. You will be given Redcliffe also." Alistair bent down, looking for a quill and some ink. He needed Teagan to sign the parchment he had drawn in order to make it official. He would announce Teagan as his Chancellor after his Coronation, but he wanted the paperwork out of the way first.

Alistair's amulet caught Teagan's eye. "Oh! I see you found it! When I heard from one of the servants what it was, I thought Eamon might have given it to you."

Alistair looked up, slightly perplexed. "You mean my mother's amulet? No, Alyssa found it here in the castle. Eamon didn't give it to me. I still don't understand why he fixed it though. When I left for the Chantry, I smashed it against the wall, and it shattered.

"Eamon didn't fix it, Alistair. I did."

...

They stood outside Riordan's door, holding hands. Teagan had been informed what they were doing, and had signed the paperwork they had prepared beforehand.

They knocked and walked into Riordan's room.

"Ah, good. You are both here at last. You are both new to the Grey Wardens. I need to know if you have been told how the archdemon is slain."

"You mean that there is more to it than, say, chopping off its head?" Alistair asked.

Alyssa felt a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Tell me, have you ever wondered **why** Grey Wardens are needed to defeat darkspawn?"

"It has something to do with the Taint in us, doesn't it?" Alyssa asked, the feeling spreading.

"That is exactly what it involves," Riordan answered and paused before continuing. "The archdemon may be slain like any other darkspawn. But if it is someone else and not a Grey Warden that does the slaying, it will not be enough."

Alyssa licked her lips. They were as dry as her throat. "And...what...happens to the Grey Warden?"

Riordan turned to her, a sad look on his face. "The archdemon is a soulless, empty vessel. But a Grey Warden is not. The essence of the Grey Warden is destroyed...and so is the archdemon."

Her world came spiraling down, and fear and despair clutched her heart.

And here it was. It was the worse secret of them all that had been kept from them.

Alistair's face was pale as he spoke. "This means that the one who kills the archdemon...dies?"

"Yes," Riordan said sadly. "Without the archdemon, the Blight ends. It is the only way."

Nobody spoke. Alistair turned to look at her, but she stood there, looking ahead. She seemed to be struggling to say something, and he took her hand in his.

His touch seemed to help her decide. She looked at Riordan and when she spoke, her voice was calm. "Then I will deal the final blow myself."

"What? No!" Alistair blurted out.

Riordan held up his hand, and they both fell silent.

"It warms my heart to see such courage, but do not hurry to sacrifice your life," Riordan said gently. "If possible, the final blow should be mine to make. I am the eldest, and the Taint will not spare me much longer. But if I fail, the deed falls on you. The Blight must be stopped now, or it will destroy all of Ferelden before the rest of the Grey Wardens can assemble. Remember that."

Alistair was still staring at her. He shook his head. He was not going to let her sacrifice herself!

Alyssa's look was determined and did not look at him. If she did, she knew she would burst into tears.

"But enough. There will be much to do and we need to rest tonight. I will let you get back to your room."

They turned to leave, but Alistair paused. "I will see you tomorrow once the army is ready to march, then. I guess this ends soon, one way or another."

"That it does, my friend. That it does."

...

They walked into their room, still holding hands, and Alistair was still looking at her, so he didn't see the figure standing in front of the fireplace.

Alyssa did, however. "Morrigan! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your room, resting?"

"I've come to speak with you, if I may," Morrigan said.

"Oh, great. This is the night when everyone decides to talk about things we don't know, right?" Alistair said. "You finally decided to come and betray us, didn't you?"

"On the contrary, Alistair. I would like you to listen to what I have to say," Morrigan said quietly.

Alyssa simply stared. Morrigan was never this civil to Alistair.

"I know what happens when you slay the archdemon. I have come to tell you that nobody needs to make that sacrifice."

Alyssa jerked her head up. She had been looking at the floor dejectedly. Is it possible that Morrigan knew how to keep them alive?

"It won't work," Alistair said. "Besides, Riordan says he will be taking the final blow."

"Riordan will not live to take the final blow, Alistair." Morrigan said quietly. "I know this."

Alistair looked into her golden eyes, which were sincere. He had never seen that look in her eyes before.

"So you are actually here to help us?" Alistair said. "Somehow I don't believe it. What's in it for you?"

Alyssa let go of his hand and faced him, her face flushed. "Alistair, please! Let's just listen to what she has to say!"

Alistair looked into her eyes, and he saw it. The hope, the longing. And he could not bring himself to take this hope away from her. He nodded, and turned back to Morrigan, waiting for her to speak.

"I have a loop in your hole, a plan. It involves you Alistair. And before you protest, it will be the only way to stop any of you from dying. I don't think you would want Alyssa to take the final blow and die, would you? And Alyssa, if Alistair takes the final blow himself, would you be able to live on without him? Think about what it would mean, to either of you, to have to watch the other die."

They both paled and Alistair moved closer to Alyssa.

"Here is what I propose. A ritual. Preformed tonight, before the final battle."

"Nothing comes without a price," Alistair said.

"Perhaps. But that price need not be so unbearable, especially if there is much to be gained."

"What is your plan, Morrigan?" Alistair asked.

"You, Alistair, must lay with me here tonight. From this union, a child will be conceived. The child will bear the Taint, and when the archdemon is slain, its essence will seek the child like a beacon. At this early stage, the child will absorb the essence and not perish. The archdemon is then destroyed with no Grey Warden destroyed in the process."

Alistair burst out laughing.

"I have to have **sex** with you?" He sputtered, when he was finally able to speak. "That's the ritual? Sex? With _you_? This has to be the best joke I've heard from you, Morrigan! It sure did cut the tension!" He laughed again.

Morrigan did not laugh. Nor did Alyssa, who was still staring at Morrigan.

"Wait a minute! You're **serious**? Maker's breath!"

He blushed then when he realized what he had to go through. Sex! With Morrigan of all people? Was this some way of the Maker punishing him?

"This...child...why would you want it? What is this child going to become? Darkspawn?" Alistair still had more questions to ask, but he blurted out those to start with.

"No, the child will be fine. It will be born with the soul of the Old God. And once this is done, I will walk away. And you will allow me to walk away. You will never follow. Ever. The child will be mine to raise as I wish."

"So you don't want it for the throne? Why am I finding it difficult to believe you?" Alistair sneered, now feeling the first traces of anger course through his body.

"I assure you that I care little for your throne," Morrigan sneered back.

"How do you know this will even work?" Alistair questioned her, his voice louder than it should have been.

"This is what my mother intended when she sent me with you. It's very ancient magic."

"Oh, that's reassuring. Yes...let's create a demon baby with the soul of an Old God. By all means! It's Flemeth's idea, so it should be just fine!"

"The child will **not** be evil, Alistair! And it will grow free from prejudices, and from the evil of man. What I seek, is the essence of the Old God that once was. Not the forces that corrupted it! The child will represent freedom for an ancient power, a chance to be reborn apart from the taint."

Alistair shook his head and sighed.

"I'm sorry Morrigan. I can't do this." Alistair said.

Alyssa turned to look at him then. She locked her eyes on his. They were pleading and close to tears.

"You can't be serious! You really want me to do this? _**Really**_?"

"Alistair. We deserve to live. After all we've been through, after all they've used us, after all they've lied to us. We haven't had our chance to be together, to be happy. If you don't do this, I will make sure that I take the final blow tomorrow. Ferelden needs you as king."

"No! I won't let you do that!" Alistair protested.

"You won't be able to stop me. There are ways for me to take the final blow, even if I have to use force to do it and stop you from doing it."

He paled, eyes widening with shock.

"My darling, I'm begging you. You must do this. For us." Tears were streaming down her face now and as he looked down at her, his eyes softened.

"I assure you that I don't like the idea much myself, Alistair. But if you must know, I am really doing this for Alyssa. I have grown to care for her a great deal, and I know she will take that blow herself, and you will not be able to stop her. I want her to live, so she can finally be happy. She lost everyone she loved in one night. She only has you. Would you put her through all that pain again?"

He shook his head sadly and turned back to Alyssa. "Are you sure, my love?"

She nodded, still crying, and he took her in his arms tenderly. "Hush, now. Don't cry, please."

He looked back at Morrigan and nodded. "All right, I'll do it. Let's just get it over with, all right?"

"Let us go to my room, Alistair," Morrigan said as she walked out.

Alistair turned to his wife. "I want to tell you that I love you. And only because you're asking me to do this, I will do it. I just want you to know that I won't ever lay with anyone else again. I don't like this at all, you know."

"I know," she whispered and smiled.

He took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. His hands roamed over her body, caressing her.

They broke off breathing heavily. "Have a hot bath drawn here, love. I will be back shortly and will bathe immediately after I arrive. Ugh...Morrigan." He said, a pained expression on his face.

He placed kisses on her neck, and touched her breasts, his hands roamed all over her body and she moaned. She kissed him and held him close. He broke away, desire burning in his eyes for her.

Then he left.

...

True to his word, he came back, not ten minutes later. He closed the door and headed towards the bath, discarding his armor on the way. He did not look at Alyssa, but proceeded to scrub every inch of his body until it was pink.

Alistair sighed, and stepped out of the tub, reaching for the towel placed on the side. He dried himself and then made his way towards the bed, sitting on it next to Alyssa.

"It's done," he said simply. "Thank the Maker for the kisses we shared before I left. Otherwise...I would have never...er...it would never have happened."

He shuddered and she embraced him. "Love, I can make you forget..."

He grinned, and relaxed slowly, pulling her closer. "That sounds really...I mean...that sounds like a great idea..."

Her eyes danced and he kissed her.

And he _did_ forget.

**A/N: I realize that the Dark Ritual is terrible, because Alistair has to be with Morrigan. But I am merely being practical. Sex is sex, and love is love. **

**I had another idea about this, which involved no ritual. But Morrigan was so out of character for it, that I didn't see this idea working at all. **

**There are things that will happen in this story that never happen in the game, and they will be enough to compensate for this chapter, so don't kill me yet, lol. :D **


	47. The Final Battle

**Thanks to Virginia Gale for her awesome review! :D **

Chapter 47 - The Final Battle

Alistair and Alyssa walked with the rest of the soldiers, and Denerim slowly came into view. He turned to look at her.

This was a woman who had shaped him with love and tenderness into what he was today. She had made him a better person.

The fact that she loved him and chose to be with him made his heart soar.

He nodded to her, then ran up some steps leading to a house in the wilderness. He was now at a higher point and could see the hundreds of soldiers who looked up at him waiting for him to speak.

"Before us stands the might of the darkspawn horde! Gaze upon them now, but fear them not! The woman you see standing beside me is a native of Ferelden, risen to the ranks of the Grey Wardens. She is proof that glory is within reach of us all! She has survived, despite the odds, and without her, none of us would be here!"

He went back down the stairs, to stand before his soldiers. Alyssa stood quietly beside him. She could see the fervor in their eyes. They would fight and die for him today.

"Today, we save Denerim! Today, we avenge the death of my brother, King Cailan! But most of all today, we show the Grey Wardens that we honor and remember their sacrifice!"

He paused for a moment, his face full of emotion as his voice rose to the skies.

"For Ferelden! For the Grey Wardens!"

The soldiers cheered, and ran towards Denerim, Alistair and Alyssa following close behind.

...

Riordan and another group of soldiers had already arrived at the gates. They ploughed through the hurlocks, genlocks and emissaries. The knights of Redcliffe were quickly slaughtering darkspawn that barely had time to react. Their attack was brutal and determined.

He watched the archdemon as it flew above, roaring in anger at the forces that were joining the people in Denerim. It knew that there were wardens there, amongst them. It knew that their bravado could set them back. It roared again and flew past the gates.

Riordan smiled. Then, lifting his sword above his head, he ordered the soldiers to move on.

Riordan and his company of soldiers fought as Alyssa stood before the sea of darkspawn, and tensed, readying herself for battle. Behind her, her companions slipped into their defensive poses as they drew their weapons.

She charged and the rest followed, uttering their battle cries.

Alistair fought beside her, he would not leave her. Every time she ran to another group of darkspawn, he would be there, following her, watching her back closely.

They made their way across the field and to the bridge, where a large group stood ready to attack. Oghren swung his massive maul and Pawn and Shale positioned themselves. These fiends would not pass.

"Protect the soldiers! They must not fall!" Alyssa yelled at her companions.

They all heard, and went off in pairs to aid the soldiers.

Soon the battle was over, and the field was littered with hundreds of darkspawn corpses.

Very few soldiers had died, others were wounded. But all of them smiled.

They had won this battle.

...

Riordan assembled Alyssa and her companions for a short speech on what still had to be done.

Wynne spoke to Riordan first. "What are we to do now, Riordan? You have a plan I assume?"

Riordan nodded. "We are outnumbered three to one, and the army will not last long unless we get to the archdemon quickly," he said, pausing to look at Alyssa and Alistair.

"How are we going to fight a flying dragon?" Alyssa asked.

"I will try to lure it to the top of Fort Drakon," Riordan replied. "It may be the only way to get to it. I have sensed two of its generals here in Denerim. Once it is in Fort Drakon, it may attempt to call its generals to fight by its side. We must make sure the generals are slain so this does not happen."

"Do you know where these generals are?" Alistair asked.

"One of them is in the Market Square area. I can feel it clearly. The other, well, I'm sorry to say that I cannot trace him yet. We may not be able to waste resources to bring them down either."

Alyssa nodded, understanding immediately what must be done. She had to take a group with her to get to these generals and slay them, before they continued their march to the archdemon, who would hopefully be in Fort Drakon by then.

Riordan directed his gaze to her. "You see what has to be done, I can feel it. I suggest you take Alistair and two others with you and get to the archdemon as quickly as you can. Now, who do you want to take with you?"

"Alistair, Morrigan and Leliana," she answered quickly.

"Fair enough. Nothing you have done so far has prepared you for what you are about to face. May the Maker watch over you."

Then he was gone.

...

One by one, they stood before her and voiced their feelings for her, and wished her luck before they set off on their task. Her family. Her friends. Her companions.

She looked at each one in turn, and answered each with a brilliant smile. They knew that she would die for them if she needed to, and they held her closely and bade her well.

Alistair was the last to stand before her, and he took her in his arms. "So, soon this will be over one way or another..."

"I love you, Alistair, just watch my back in there, all right?"

"I love you, my dear. And watch your back is what I always have done. Remember...we fight as one..."

They kissed and broke away, their eyes meeting with the love and devotion they felt for each other.

Alyssa squared her shoulders, and they set off. As they ran, the soldiers cheered them on.

And the archdemon roared.

...

The battle in the market square had been hard and taken longer than she expected.

She wiped the sweat and blood off her face, gazing down at the bloody corpse of the hurlock general. Alistair had just succeeded in dealing the final blow to the monster, and it had fallen at Alyssa's feet.

She turned to him now, her eyes searching his face.

''What is it, love?"

"I must say something to you, my darling," she whispered.

"Right." He turned to the others, and told them to rest for a bit. They would be taking a short break before continuing their journey. They nodded and found themselves a spot outside the Chantry doors.

"Remember my recurring nightmare?" Alyssa asked, gazing into his eyes.

"Yes, of course. How can I ever forget it."

"I'm ready to tell you about it now. I feel you need to know that it helped me to make the decision about letting you and Morrigan...well...you know."

He nodded and waited for her to continue.

She seemed to be struggling for the right words. "I cannot continue without you, Alistair. You have been my rock and my beacon of light through all this. If anything should happen to you, I would die."

He put his arms around her, and his hand caressed her back. It soothed her.

"In my dream, I am following the archdemon. Wanting to kill it before it destroys everyone in Ferelden. I reach the top of a tower, and it is there, taunting me. Then..."

She paused, her breathing coming in short gasps. Alistair rubbed her back gently and murmured words of love to her, calming her down a little.

"Then, you appear beside me, and before I have a chance to do anything, you run towards the archdemon, and plunge your sword into its skull, screaming loudly as you do so. There is a blinding white light and an explosion and I fall back, and you are flung away also by the sheer force of this explosion. I crawl on my hands and knees as I make my way to you and turn you over, taking you in my arms. Your eyes are open, staring into nothing. You are dead."

_Maker's breath! She had been having this dream over and over? No wonder Morrigan's offer had immediately seemed like the best option to her!_

He sat there in shock and held her closely.

"You do not have anything to fear any longer, love. I will not die, and neither will you. We'll live to see this through," he murmured into her ear.

"Yes, I know. But I felt I had to tell you before we faced it, you know?"

He nodded and kissed her tenderly.

Alyssa stood up and called out to the others.

"Where to now, love?" Alistair asked standing beside her.

"Now, we march to the Elven Alienage. The elves there are not even armored and easy prey to the darkspawn. I'm betting that is where the other general will make its appearance."

...

They had made their way to the top of Fort Drakon, fighting difficult battles along the way. The fact that they were still alive filled them with a kind of awe, and told them that fate was with them that night.

Alyssa paused before the doors that led up the stairs to the top of the tower. She turned to Alistair to share a kiss before they faced the last onslaught.

Morrigan cast rejuvenating spells on all of them.

Alyssa squared her shoulders and they were off.

...

The dragon fixed its gaze on her, and called to her, but met with a resistance that it had not expected.

It roared in fury, lashing out at the ones closest to it, darkspawn and soldiers alike.

Alyssa ran to it and danced around it, her blades whirring in and out with speed.

Behind her, the surviving circle mages threw cold and fire spells at the dragon alternately.

The dragon was barely alive and fighting for its life.

Alyssa found her way up the dragon and straddled herself onto its snakelike neck. The image of Riordan falling to his death had fueled her initially but now another image broke through her brain as the memory of her recurring nightmare pushed through.

"No!" She yelled and brought her blades down hard into the dragon's neck. It screamed once, and its neck and head fell with a thud on the floor.

Alyssa rolled onto the floor, her hands empty. Her blades were still deeply embedded in the dragon's neck.

She looked around wildly for any blade to finish it off. Behind her she could hear Alistair cursing and yelling, slaying as many darkspawn as he could. She could tell he was tiring and that he had very little stamina left.

They were running out of time.

Then, her eyes finally found a greatsword that was sticking out of a dead hurlock.

She grinned and raced to it, pulling it out, before she skidded in front of the archdemon that was raising its neck before her. She cut through the neck gracefully and the neck and head fell one last time.

She stood there for a moment, her breath coming in gasps, her eyes grim and determined.

Then, mustering all the strength she had left, she brought the sword down and plunged it into the archdemon's skull, and this time it was she who roared.

There was a blinding white light that enveloped all those in the area. Alistair and Morrigan looked on. He tried to reach her, but Morrigan held him back and shook her head.

After what seemed like an eternity, Alyssa's struggles ended, and she was thrown back as an explosion emanated from the dragon. Alistair and Morrigan were thrown back as well, the wind knocked out of them.

The darkspawn fled. The people cheered.

The Blight was over.

**A/N: Now we can focus on other things in the next chapter, yes? :D **

**Let the games begin! Hehehe...**

**Please read and review. It means a lot to me! :)**


	48. The King and His Queen

**Thank you Angelsong9 and Harmakhis for your reviews! I just loved them! :D **

**So, we'll now devote a few chapters to some stuff that has to be dealt with. Hope you enjoy and please review and tell me what you liked or didn't like! :D **

Chapter 48 - The King and His Queen

Denerim was quickly recovering and most of the rubble had been cleaned after a few weeks.

The entire city was bustling with activity. The Blight had been ended, and the Hero of Ferelden had saved them by killing the archdemon.

They said she was a formidable woman.

They said that she was beautiful, as beautiful as Andraste herself.

They said that the young king was smitten with her...

The coronation was taking place today and the people were excited. They flocked to the royal palace, eager to catch a glimpse of their new king.

Inside the royal palace, the throne room was packed with nobles from everywhere. At the front, directly in front of the stairs that led up to a wooden table and the Grand Cleric standing behind it, Alyssa's companions stood, as well as some other people who had accompanied her on some of her journeys.

The nobles saw elves there as well and wondered.

The young king made his entrance, and a hush settled around the room. He walked slowly up to the stairs, then climbed them until he reached the Grand Cleric.

She smiled at him and waited.

Arl Eamon rubbed his hands in anticipation. He scanned the nobles' faces before him and his eyes momentarily paused on his comrades. Bann Loren, Leon, Toyrn, Seymor, Carlin, Ferdinand and Anton looked back at him from where they stood, each had smiles on their faces.

He could almost taste the power that he was sure would be given to him shortly.

Alistair turned to the nobles and people gathered before him. He cleared his throat to speak.

Eamon frowned slightly. What was going on? Why wasn't the Grand Cleric proceeding with the coronation?

"Lords and ladies of Ferelden. I have an important announcement to make."

_What? This cannot be happening! _

The arl's eyes widened in shock. A little mocking voice in his head told him that it indeed was happening. Alistair was king and could make anything happen.

"As you all know, there is one person that we should be thanking for our lives today. This person stopped the Blight before it had barely started and killed the archdemon a few weeks ago. This person is my wife."

A murmur spread across the great throne room. The king lifted his hand to silence him.

"She will be crowned with me today and will become your queen. Ladies and gentlemen, let me publically introduce the Hero of Ferelden, and your Queen, Alyssa Cousland Theirin."

The crowd broke into cheers and applauses as a thin figure dressed regally in a white and gold dress appeared before them, and slowly walked up the stairs to stand by Alistair.

Eamon made a strangled sound, the color draining from his face. His eyes desperately scanned the sea of faces, looking for the banns he had seen not moments before. His eyes widened. The banns were not there!

He scanned the faces again, trying to get a grip on everything that was happening. He had to make sure.

They definitely were gone.

Their wives and daughters also seemed to be looking for them. The insolent elf that had traveled with them during the Blight suddenly appeared beside them and whispered something. They did not seem to understand him, and looked around some more, but the elf seemed insistent about something, and they suddenly turned around and nodded.

Eamon's eyes narrowed.

The elf was now leading them out of the room! Isolde moved beside him, and jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. He started.

He turned to observe the coronation ceremony beside him, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

The Grand Cleric blessed them in the eyes of the Maker and declared them King and Queen of Ferelden as they knelt before her.

They rose from their kneeling positions and faced the crowd that was cheering again.

Alistair's raised his hand, and the crowd quieted down again.

"There are other announcements I will be making shortly. I assure you that after all this is done with, we will all be partaking of a banquet fit for kings." He grinned and the crowd tittered at his words.

Behind him, some guards took away the table and the book on it that had been used for the coronation. The Grand Cleric stepped to the right and waited for the king to continue to speak.

"Teagan Guerrin, please come forward."

Eamon's mouth fell open.

Teagan approached the king and queen and knelt before them.

"Rise Teagan Guerrin, Chief Chancellor to the King and Queen of Ferelden," Alistair announced.

There was a commotion in the room. Isolde had fainted and Eamon held her in his arms, his face now red with anger.

"You!" He sputtered at Alyssa, setting his wife's body on the floor gently. He advanced on Alyssa menacingly. "You are to blame for all this! I'll get you for this!"

The Royal Guard immediately took and restrained him, binding his hands behind him and forced him to kneel before the king and queen.

Alyssa's grin was so big, her face was starting to hurt.

"Eamon Guerrin, you have publically threatened your queen. This is considered as treason against the crown. You are hereby stripped of all your titles and land and I am placing you and your wife under arrest for conspiring against us," Alistair said quietly, gazing down at Eamon, who was looking up at him in anger and confusion.

"Leliana," Alistair was looking now at the bard. "Could you please ask the guards in the next room to bring out our..." he gave a low chuckle, "_honored_ guests?"

Leliana giggled and disappeared for a moment behind a door next to the throne room and returned with guards who were bringing in seven men.

...

"What say you?" Alistair boomed at the men who were kneeling before him.

"Please, your highness. We wish to swear our fealty to you. We only supported Arl...Eamon because we thought..." Bann Loren pleaded.

"You thought that you could gain something in exchange, perhaps?" Alistair interrupted, his gaze steady and steely.

Bann Loren swallowed and nodded, unable to find his voice. The king's stormy countenance was more than he could bear at the moment.

"What say you, my Queen? What should be done with them?" He turned to Alyssa, and his gaze softened when he looked at her.

"They should be held for further questioning, my King. Until we can successfully reach a conclusion about their participation or lack of in this conspiracy."

Alistair nodded and smiled. He gestured to the guards and they took them away. He turned to Teagan again, who was looking down at his brother, a mixture of sadness and anger in his eyes.

"Teagan Guerrin, I hereby declare you Arl of Redcliffe. From this moment forth the land that once belonged to the former arl is yours."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Teagan bowed to him.

Alistair turned back to Eamon, his eyes smoldering again.

"Your fate, and that of your wife's, will be decided on later. This is a day of celebration, and it will not be marred by sentencing you. It is fortunate that your son, Connor, is in the Circle Tower and not here to witness this today," he sighed sadly.

He nodded to the guards and spoke again. "Take them away to their cells please."

The crowd murmured again as the former arl and his wife were taken from the room.

Alistair lifted his hand again, demanding silence.

"Let it also be known that the arling of Amaranthine, once the land that belonged to Arl Howe is now granted to the Grey Wardens. There they shall rebuild, following in the footsteps of those that went before them."

The crowd once again broke into applauses. Alistair waited for the noise to die down.

"Lanaya, keeper of the Dalish, please approach."

Lanaya approached, unsure of what was about to happen.

Alistair and Alyssa smiled down at her.

"Keeper Lanaya, I am granting the Dalish the land to the south in the Kocari Wilds, including Ostagar. There you and your people can settle if you wish, and build their homes. It is my hope that the animosity between elves and humans gradually disappear, and that the ties between my people and yours strengthen. We will work endlessly to achieve this goal. The Dalish elves helped us to defeat the Blight, at a great cost. Many of them died that day. We will not forget this." Alistair's voice rang clearly through the room.

Many of the people in the crowd nodded in agreement, and applause broke out again at this.

Lanaya's eyes widened and a smile appeared on her lips. "Your Majesties are generous. We thank you for this." She knelt before them and went back to her seat, smiling happily.

"Shianni, please come forth."

Shianni stumbled over to where Alistair and Alyssa stood, smiling and blushing as she curtseyed.

"Shianni, we will not forget the help your people gave us during the Blight. The elves who live in the Alienage were the ones that suffered the most. Loghain and Howe had been selling your people as slaves to the Tevinters. I apologize and wanted to let you know that we are seeking to rebuild the Alienage and improve its conditions. The gates will be torn down, and I declare the Alienage a Bann within the city of Denerim. Would you please consider becoming their ruler and a voice at the Landsmeet?"

Shianni was struck dumb for a moment, but recovered and knelt before them. "Your Majesties, I would be honored."

"Rise Bann Shianni, and please, join us in our celebration," Alistair grinned at her.

Alistair now turned to Alyssa, the expression in his eyes full of love and adoration for her.

She turned to everyone in the room and urged them all to follow them into the banquet room.

He offered her his arm and she took it, and they walked into the room, smiling at each other. The rest followed and were struck dumb at the sight that met their eyes.

Before them were tables laden with food and every single type of ale and wine in Ferelden.

Behind them, Oghren's voice suddenly was heard above the others.

"Bless the little pike-twirler! I've never seen so much ale in my life!"

...

The king and queen were spinning around in a dance, and they never stopped gazing into each other's eyes.

The nobles were watching their every move. Some had already joined them on the dance floor.

Suddenly there were noises above the lutes that the bards were playing and the music and dancing came to an abrupt stop as everyone spun around to watch the scene that was unfolding before them.

A bearded man was struggling in the tight grasp of two guards, and the people parted to let their king and queen catch a better look at what was happening.

The man was thin and haggard, and filthy. "Let me go!" He yelled again, and Alyssa's hand flew to her mouth.

Alistair looked at her, a question forming on his lips, but before he had the chance to even voice it, she had broken free from his embrace and was running to the stranger, her hands holding her skirt up slightly to avoid tripping over it in the process.

"Fergus! Fergus, is that you?" She yelled.

Alistair broke into a grin and ordered the guards to release the man on the spot.

Fergus Cousland stumbled to the floor, a confused look as his eyes fell on his little sister before him.

She knelt beside him and hugged him tightly, and tears of joy fell on her cheeks.

"Fergus! Thank the Maker! I thought you were dead!"

Fergus looked up into her eyes, and could not believe what he was seeing. "Alyssa! By the Maker! You look wonderful, little sister! I missed you!" And he held her tightly, sobs already escaping his lips as he cried.

"What happened to you Fergus?" She asked as she tried to help him up.

Alistair stood beside Alyssa and looked down at Fergus. He was grinning.

Fergus started. "Are...you...the king?" He stuttered.

Alistair nodded.

"Maker's breath! I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I am weak and very tired. Not to mention filthy," he managed a weak smile.

"Fergus, I will arrange for you to be sent to one of our guest rooms. You will freshen up there and rest. Food will be brought to you, and we shall talk to you later."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he murmured gratefully. "Alyssa, are you coming with me?"

"Of course! I want to make sure you are taken care of dear brother," she grinned as she struggled to help him up.

"I'll hurry back, I promise," she told Alistair.

...

"What? You and the king are married?" Fergus called from the bathtub behind the curtain.

"Yes!"

"So many changes, and I've missed all the good parts, it seems," he said wistfully.

"I must go, dear brother. The servants have brought you some food, and we'll talk again tomorrow as soon as you've had a good night's sleep."

"I'll be looking forward to that, little sister."

"Sleep well, dear brother. I must return to the banquet for now."

"Of course! Have fun, Alyssa," Fergus replied.

He smiled to himself when Alyssa was gone, his mind suddenly visualizing his mother's face.

"Our Alyssa! Married to the King of Ferelden! Maker's blood!"

Fergus laughed at what his imagination had conjured up for him and left the tub, drying himself and putting on a comfortable clean tunic that had been laid out for him on the bed, before sitting at a small table in the room which was laden with food and drink.

After he ate, a servant came in and discretely and very quietly took the dishes, returning moments later to clean up the tub and start a fire.

Fergus was already asleep.


	49. Game Ends Here

**Some smuttiness ahead, lol **

**Thanks so much for your reviews Harmakhis and lillie chan. Yay! :D **

Chapter 49 - Game Ends Here

Alyssa woke up and turned slightly. Alistair was sleeping on his back, snoring softly. She smiled and gazed down at his naked body hungrily. They had fallen asleep after making love, but she still wanted him more than ever.

She traced his chest with her fingers lovingly and he stirred in his sleep. One of his hands went automatically to her head, and his fingers buried themselves in her soft hair.

The room was dark and cold, so she shivered and tried to disentangle herself from him. She wanted to pull the bed covers back on them, but Alistair lay sprawled on them and partly on her, so after trying unsuccessfully for a few moments, she sighed and snuggled back into his arms, seeking his body warmth instead.

He opened his eyes and regarded her sleepily. "Love," he drawled.

She smiled and shivered again. "Cold?" He mumbled and pulled her closer to him. His hands roamed over her as they tried to warm her.

"Could you start a fire, darling?" She said, and pouted at him, still shivering.

He caught her lips in his for the briefest of moments, sucking her lower lip with profound satisfaction.

_Maker's breath, that delicious pout of hers will be the end of me yet! _

"As my queen commands," he slurred and then dragged himself heavily out of bed, stopping in front of the fireplace where he worked with some fire logs.

"I know you want to exile Eamon and Isolde, Alistair. But what do we do about Anora?"

He did not speak until he had successfully gotten the fire going. Then he turned to her and walked back to the bed, sitting beside her.

"If she lives, she'll most likely find a way to put our lives in danger. I'm betting she still has some support, she was well loved by many people." His eyes restlessly roamed over her body, his desire for her fueled anew.

He reached out for her and she leaned against him.

"You know I have to order her execution. The longer I wait, the more dangerous it becomes for you and I."

"Yes, I know, my love," she said quietly.

"Tomorrow we'll speak to Fergus first. Then, we can visit Eamon and Isolde in their cells. I want to see if I can get more details of his plan to set you aside as well. I don't know if exiling him is punishment enough,"

"Without any lands or a title, he will be poor and destitute. I doubt he will have the means to hire anyone to harm us, my love," Alyssa murmured.

"If I find out that he meant to hurt you in any way, he dies," Alistair growled.

She nodded. His hands were now cupping her breasts, fingers gently squeezing her nipples. "We're going to visit Avernus soon, aren't we?" She managed to say before letting herself go to the pleasure that was quickly building inside her.

"Yes," he said simply as he pushed her gently down on the mattress, until they were both lying on it.

He trailed kisses on her neck, groaning with pleasure when he reached her breasts again, his hands massaging them, while his mouth worshipped her.

She arched herself to him slightly and finally let her pleasure take precedence over the rest.

...

Fergus answered the knock on the door, still half asleep.

A guard standing there informed him that his royal majesties would like to see him in the dining room for breakfast.

He quickly washed up and dressed in the clothes that had been left out for him, no doubt by a very silent servant, and made his way towards the room where Alistair and Alyssa were waiting sitting at a long table.

He was surprised to find other people there as well. He smiled as he sat down.

"Fergus, these are some of our close friends," Alyssa said. "They were travelling with us and helped us during the Blight."

Alyssa made all the introductions and he nodded to each of them, as he ate, a smile on his lips.

"You must tell us what happened to you, my brother," Alyssa said.

"I was lost in the Wilds, after we were ambushed by a group of darkspawn," he said. "I stumbled around until I found myself close to a Chasind hut, where I stayed, nursing my wounds as soon as I could stay awake long enough. I was burning with fever and very ill for a long time. There was hardly anything to eat."

He paused and took a spoonful of porridge, chewing and swallowing before he continued.

"I left the hut a couple of months later and went north, hoping to arrive at Highever at the end of my journey, but I was still ill and weak, and fainted along the way. When I came to, I discovered a fire burning in a make-shift camp and a mage standing over me. He healed me and helped me. I travelled with him for a time, and we became friends. He told me that he was escaping the circle tower and wanted to go as far north as his legs could carry him. He said that templars were hot on his trail, and that once he made sure I was better, he would part ways so that I would not be put into needless danger if he were captured."

Alistair nodded. "An apostate," he murmured. "Templars use phylacteries to hunt rogue mages down."

"I became stronger, and we went our different ways and continued to travel north. I met a large horde of darkspawn that seemed to be heading towards Denerim, and hid to save my life. After they had moved on, I continued but was ambushed by bandits and robbed. They took my family signet ring and some coin I had in my coin purse. You know how stubborn I am, Alyssa, so I continued my journey, and reached Highever the day after the Blight ended." He paused, a sad, stricken look on his face. Alyssa stiffened, trying to keep her emotions in check. Alistair took hold of her hand, and squeezed it reassuringly.

"You can imagine what happened in Highever, dear sister."

"I can do more than imagine. I was there when Howe attacked. Father had been gravely wounded and mother stayed behind to fight, so that Duncan and I could escape," she whispered as she stared ahead, memories of that terrible night coming to life.

"Mother and father went down fighting, and it was not in vain. You were able to escape because of this, and ended the Blight. I know they are proud of you. I am."

He gave her a loving smile and she went to his side and hugged him. Tears ran down their faces and nobody spoke for a while.

Alyssa broke away and turned back to sit next to her husband.

"I'm sorry for Oriana and Oren, Fergus," she whispered.

"Yes, I try not to dwell too much on their deaths, but that doesn't mean I'm not in pain over losing them..."

She nodded, and swallowed, trying to ignore the lump in her throat.

Fergus shook his head and breathed in deeply. He forced himself to smile.

"I intend to go back to Highever, to start rebuilding."

"We'll help, of course," Alistair intervened. "I'll send men to help you out, and building materials with them as well."

"Thank you so much, Your Majesty."

"Please, call me Alistair. I'm only king when there is something official going on. And you are family, aren't you?"

"Yes...Alistair. Thank you. We both love Alyssa, and we should become closer, my brother."

Alistair smiled warmly at Fergus and turned back to the food on the table, helping himself to a third helping of everything on it.

Fergus's eyes widened when he saw his sister doing the same.

"You are eating a lot, Alyssa," he chuckled at her glare.

"Oh, that's the famous Grey Warden appetite," Alistair said in between spoonfuls of porridge while he waved the spoon around as he spoke. "You just can't help yourself."

Alyssa looked coyly at him. "Ah, yes! We mustn't forget the famous Grey Warden _stamina_ for...er...other more _intimate_ things..."

Alistair blushed a deep crimson and Oghren burped loudly and let out a guffaw.

"Aye! When we were travelling with these two, it was all we could hear at camp. All they did at night was forge the moaning statue, buck the forbidden horse, don the velvet-"

Leliana was having difficulty breathing, her giggles seemed to be strangling her. Zevran was laughing and even Wynne was hiding her face under a napkin and giggled, turning her laugh into a cough.

"Where's the sodding ale?" Oghren demanded loudly.

...

"So, I am to be exiled, is it?" Eamon said angrily, looking at Alistair through the bars of his cell. Isolde sat on a cot, staring at the ground.

"After all I've done for you, you ungrateful bastard..."

"Well, you got the bastard part right, at least," Alistair said thoughtfully. "Love, I think we should reconsider this exile," he said as he turned his gaze on her.

Eamon shifted, hoping that Alistair meant that he would not exile him at all. He already had plans to visit some of his friends and perhaps borrow some money to help him get back on his feet again.

His gaze fell on Alyssa, and it narrowed, full of hatred. This woman had to be dealt with. It was the only way he could successfully attempt to get back into the game.

"If only I were free, you would be dealt with accordingly, you bitch," Eamon said to her, his teeth clenched.

"Are you thinking what I think you are, Alistair?" She queried, as she gazed thoughtfully into his eyes.

Eamon watched him nod, and waited, still staring at Alyssa with hatred.

He wondered how much it would cost him to hire an assassin to make her disappear. Even if he was exiled, he could manage to visit some of his friends in Orlais, or get a loan from his wife's family...

Alistair's voice cut through his daydream.

"Eamon, I sentence you and your wife to death. Your execution will take place tomorrow. Maker have mercy on your souls."

Isolde let out a wail behind him and Eamon blinked as he realized that he would never get back into the game after all...

**A/N: Oooops! :D **

**This chapter totally took me by surprise, and was never intended to even exist. My fingers and my hatred for Eamon got in the way, I guess...Or it could be because I'm currently playing the game as a Dalish elf. Her personality must have rubbed off on me! *insert evil laugh here***

**Did any of you catch the introduction of another DA character in this chapter? Wild idea I got while writing this! Anyway, I'm dying to see if anyone noticed and if you figured out who he is... :P **

**Anyway, this 'ain't' over yet, lol! **


	50. Avernus

**I want to thank Harmakhis, Angelsong9 and Virginia Gale for their wonderful reviews! I'm so glad that you are enjoying this! :D **

**Of course, special thanks also to all who are favoring this story and following it closely! :D **

**And yes, last time I checked, Bioware still owned, hehe! **

**Wow! The big five-oh! LOL! **

Chapter 50 - Avernus

Eamon and Isolde stood on a wooden platform in one of the courtyards of the palace, a resigned look on their faces. The executioners held their axes firmly in their hands and awaited the signal, looking straight at the king.

The seven banns were the only ones there, at Alistair's insistence. He knew that the execution would make a long lasting impression on them, and they would certainly think twice if they ever harbored the notion to somehow carry out Eamon's plans.

Nobody else had been asked to attend except for the Grand Cleric.

Alyssa sat quietly beside Alistair, dry-eyed and expressionless. He knew she was tired of all the deaths. He grimaced when he remembered that later that afternoon they had to sentence Anora.

The whole thing reminded him of when he had killed Loghain, but he still couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness knowing that it all would have been different if Eamon hadn't been so power hungry.

Isolde was suddenly putting up a fight. She insisted on speaking to Teagan, but Alistair did not give in to her pleas. He nodded to the executioners.

The axe fell for Eamon and Isolde at the same time. The Grand Cleric said a prayer for them. Alistair stood up and they left.

The banns were called into the throne room. Alistair questioned them again. Bann Loren finally told him that Eamon had actually considered hiring an assassin to take care of the Queen.

Alyssa turned to Alistair and just looked at him, but he knew what was on her mind.

"All of you will be released, you will go back to your families," he said quietly to them.

They all knelt before him, swearing their fealty to them both, and thanked him profusely before leaving.

When they were back in the throne room, Alistair turned to his wife, who had the same expression on her face. He could see that she was deeply upset. "Are you all right, love?"

"So much death. And it isn't over yet," she said. "Forgive me, my love. I'll be fine."

Teagan walked into the room. "Your Majesties, I come bringing news."

"What is it, Teagan?" Alistair said.

"There have been increasing reports of a great number of darkspawn along the roads, but specifically near Amaranthine," Teagan said, a worried frown on his face.

"Well, that shouldn't be so unusual. It takes them a while to disappear completely into the Deep Roads. Some of them remain and raid. We must double the numbers of our soldiers on the roads to protect the people," Alistair said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yes, Your Majesty, but that is not all," Teagan replied, and his frown deepened.

"What is it Teagan? You look really worried," Alyssa said softly.

"Well, there have been rumors, but this arrived for you, and since one of my tasks is to open your letters first, I took the liberty..."

"What is it man? And call me Alistair, we're alone here and there's no need to be formal," he smiled.

"It's the darkspawn, Alistair. The surviving commanding officer from one of the attacks writes in this report that one of them _talked_!"

Alyssa's mouth fell open. "What?"

"Talking darkspawn? Is this some kind of a joke?" Alistair said, his eyes widening in amazement.

"I'm afraid not, Alistair," replied Teagan as he handed Alistair the letter with the officer's full report in it.

Alistair took the parchment, and read, scowling as he did so.

"How is this even possible?" He asked when he finished, and his scowl deepened. "Anything else, Teagan?"

"No, nothing else. Except to thank you for not asking me to be there during their execution. I couldn't have handled it..."

"I didn't want to put you through that. He was your brother, and I can imagine what you are going through. I'm sorry there was no other way," Alistair answered sadly.

"I know, Alistair, and thank you again. He was a good brother to me a long time ago."

"Well, we will be going to have something to eat now. Is everything set for the hearing with Anora, Teagan?"

"Yes, Alistair. Everything is as scheduled."

"Good to know. See you in a while then," he said, and stood up, offering his hand to Alyssa to help her up.

...

They were finishing dinner and sitting at the table with Teagan, Fergus, Leliana, Zevran, Oghren and Wynne. Sten had already left for Seheron soon after the Blight had ended.

Alyssa's appetite left much to be desired. She tried to eat but picked at her food. Anora's sentence and immediate execution a few hours earlier had put a damper of sorts on her usual bubbling personality.

Fergus and the rest had noticed this, but did not say anything. Alistair seemed to be lost in thought.

After a while, Alistair turned to Teagan. "How long would it take to put together a trip for Alyssa and me, Teagan?"

Alyssa immediately sat up, her head cocked to one side, listening for Teagan's reply.

"You mean complete with guards, servants, and all the commodities?"

Alistair grinned. "Not really used to traveling that way, but yes..."

"A couple of days I suppose. Will you be going far?"

"No, not really. We need to visit Soldier's Peak." He turned slightly to look at Alyssa and his grin deepened. She was smiling brightly beside him.

"I shall start making the necessary arrangements tomorrow," Teagan said, smiling back at him.

"Excellent. You will be filling in for me, as my regent, of course."

Teagan gave a nod and turned back to Leliana who was now telling Fergus about the time when the dragon cult had tried to ambush them at the inn in Lake Calenhad.

"And then, Alyssa grinned wickedly at this huge man who was carrying a massive sword. She looked so tiny in comparison! The man made the mistake of laughing at her. That was the last thing he did!" Everyone burst out laughing.

Alyssa turned to look at Alistair, her eyes dancing at him. He gave her a lopsided grin and felt his heart soar. It was going to be an interesting night for him for sure.

...

Soldier's Peak was as cold as always. Alistair and Alyssa met Levi Dryden at the entrance. He was overjoyed to see them again.

When he discovered they would be staying for a couple of days, he sent his family to prepare a room for them and showed the soldiers where they could spend the night.

They had arrived late, so they did not visit Avernus that night. They ate dinner in their room, and one of the servants prepared a hot bath for them.

They relaxed and took turns bathing each other, then dried themselves and walked slowly towards the bed while kissing passionately.

"My love, you are wonderful!" She murmured into his mouth and he groaned with pleasure as she touched him.

"That's just because we're here...you adorable minx..."

She laughed out loud and continued to kiss him, her gasps arousing him greatly as he touched her.

"I love you," Alistair whispered to her in the half-light of the candle-lit room.

And then he proceeded to show her just how much.

...

Avernus stood before them, straight and silent as he listened to Alyssa, his eyes bearing into her very soul.

"I know why you are here, Warden," he said, his voice interrupting her words. "I can indeed help you, but you have to understand some things cannot be done before their time."

"Before their time?" She repeated dumbly, not quite grasping what he meant.

He sighed. Should he tell her what he knew? He eyed her curiously and made up his mind.

"There are certain steps to make sure this is successful. Also there are things that must happen first for you to carry out a satisfactory pregnancy, for I assume that is what you wish, am I right?"

She nodded, her eyes focused on him, watching his every move.

"I fear that for me to begin a treatment on you both," he nodded in Alistair's direction, finally acknowledging him, "there are other things that must come to pass before the taint in both of you is successfully reduced and contained."

"Other things? Such as?"

"You will need to help rebuild the order here in Ferelden, among other things. This task will fall onto you because it was you who slew the archdemon. The First Warden Commander will ask you to step in as Warden Commander of Ferelden. Your task will not be easy, but you will succeed."

Alyssa felt the anger build up in her as he talked.

Once again the wardens were asking too much. Once again she would have to put duty first.

"How do you know all this?" She managed, keeping her anger in check.

"Spirits talk to me, dear warden."

"Spirits or demons?" Alistair practically snarled at the old man.

He turned an amused gaze at him and laughed. "I visit the Fade very frequently, necessary for my research. Spirits tell me what is to pass. There are demons too, of course, but they lie so I heed them not."

"What if I refuse the First Warden's request?" Alyssa asked him, her eyes smoldering.

He laughed again before speaking. "You cannot undo what is already written. You will realize that you have to do this. You and your husband are the only wardens in Ferelden. The Architect must be taken care of. You will understand this and you will accept the task at hand."

"And after I do all this, will you help us?" She asked, her eyes pleading silently at him.

"I will help you," he said simply and turned to leave to return to his tower.

"Wait!" Alyssa said and he stopped and turned to fix his stare on her again. "Who is this Architect you mention?"

"Why dear warden," he said slowly. "I would have thought you'd have guessed it by now." He paused and then delivered his parting remark.

"He's the leader of the talking darkspawn."

And he left them standing there, their mouths slightly open in surprise at what they had just heard.

**A/N: As you may have already guessed, I am including Awakening in this fanfic, but not in great detail. I will just breeze through the major plot of this 'sequel' because I hated playing every moment of it, and because it did not give me satisfaction as an 'Alistair fan girl'. **

**So, yeah, up ahead you will read about the main plot in Awakening in another chapter, but I won't go into all the painful minor quests or quest details, lol.**

**Needless to say, I change some things in Awakening too. **

**Please, oh pretty please, read and review! Thanks! :D **


	51. Duty Calls

**Thanks to Hamarkhis for her awesome review! :D **

Chapter 51 - Duty Calls

Alyssa Cousland Theirin paused for a moment in front of the double doors that led into the throne room. She was late, and was embarrassed. She ran her palms along the fine silk dress she was wearing and adjusted her bodice which made it even more difficult for her to breathe.

She had overslept. It had never before happened, and her mortification was fueled by the notion that upon opening the doors, she would interrupt the meeting being held there and that all the eyes in the room would be fixed on her.

There was no way out of it. Her hands flew nervously for the last time to her body, to confirm nothing was amiss, and shot up to check her hair. Then, shaking her head at the guards to stop them from opening the doors themselves, she flung them open and walked inside the room, pausing for a moment to collect herself.

At the head of the long table, Alistair sat and peered down the long hallway at the slim form pausing just inside the room. He bit the inside of his cheeks to keep himself from smiling at the sight of her. The meeting had been very dull, this one bann was rambling and going on and on about something stupid, and his wife's presence had been sorely missed.

She was there, however, and this lifted his spirits considerably. The nobles had their eyes fixed on her figure, which was now advancing quickly up the hallway to the table where everyone sat.

When she reached the table, all the nobles gathered there immediately stood up and bowed to her, as was customary, and her face took on a wonderful tinge of bright crimson red, but she nodded solemnly back at them and walked around the table to where Alistair now stood, waiting to pull out the empty chair next to him for her to sit on.

She sat but not before she whispered into his ear. "Maker! Sorry my love, I did oversleep, you should have tried something _**else**_ to wake me."

The king's countenance was still serious, but a blush had crept to his cheeks and ears, and his eyes twinkled. He sat back down and the bann that had been talking continuously since the beginning of the meeting early in the morning, continued to ramble on.

Alyssa leaned back in her chair, and listened. As soon as she caught the gist of what was being discussed, her interest waned and she found herself staring down at her hands, primly crossed in front of her.

Alistair was seemingly focused on what was being said, and Teagan suppressed a smile nonetheless. He knew very well that for all his apparent concentration and focus, Alistair was simply enjoying the warmth emanating from his wife who was now sitting beside him.

He knew that he was the one that had to focus on the discussion taking place, for as he had done so many times before, he was the one that would have to summarize everything to Alistair and Alyssa before they reached a final solution and decision later on at the end of the meeting.

Alyssa sighed slightly and this caused her chest to heave, and in doing so, the supple flesh of her breasts moved slightly, straining against their confinement. Alistair's eyes darted to her chest, and he wet his lips unconsciously.

Then, he started while he forced himself to tear his eyes away from the vision before them and found himself staring blankly at the bann who was now arguing heatedly from his chair with another noble sitting across from him.

The whole thing was ridiculous, it was just something to do with the land the bann owned, that was currently in a state of abandonment, as his workers were demanding a raise in their wages and refused to work it.

Truth be told, Alistair _had_ been listening, and had concluded to himself that the bann was being particularly foolish in taking this problem to the King of Ferelden, when it was something that he should have solved at home. He drummed his fingers on the table impatiently waiting for the bann to stop talking.

Alyssa's eyes fixed themselves on his long fingers drumming on the table and in her mind's eye saw those very same fingers on her body, gently touching, prodding, and exciting her to delicious heights as they worshipped her. Her eyes shut and she sighed again.

Alistair caught the sigh again, and knew instantly what she was thinking about. He stopped drumming his fingers, his hand limply laying on the wooden surface. He shook his head slightly, getting a grip on himself and turned back to the bann. He was frowning now.

The bann faltered when he saw the stern frown on Alistair's face, and gradually lapsed into silence.

"Teagan?" Alistair asked his voice cutting through the silence clear and sharp.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Please inform Bann Tendor that I will suggest a solution to the problem now," he said, while he struggled to keep his annoyance in check.

"Bann Tendor, you will listen to your King and take note of the solution presented to you," Teagan recited mechanically, while a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Bann Tendor, you will raise your wages. The raise will consist of 3 silvers and thirty coppers for each of your workers. The money for this raise will be given to you as a loan, and you shall give it back to the kingdom when the crops have been harvested and sold. Is this clear?"

The Bann dissolved into words of appreciation and thanks, singing praises to the king.

The king raised his hand and he stopped.

"You will return the money, Bann Tendor. This is but a loan. I know the lands in the Bannorn are experiencing trouble because of the Blight and am happy to lend you aid so that you can get back on your feet again," he smiled briefly at the Bann. "But know that if this 'problem' were brought to me under normal circumstances, I would ignore your pleas for help and send you packing back to your estate."

"Yes, Your Highness...thank you Your Highness...I'm sorry your Highness..."

"Will that be all for today?" Alistair asked Teagan and his eyes scanned the nobles' faces briefly.

"Yes, Your Majesty. That about covers it," Teagan smiled.

"All right. All of you may leave and so," he let out a sigh, "will I."

And Alyssa grinned as she looked up at his face, admiring the way he had tackled and solved the problem so quickly.

...

They were holding hands as they sat at the dining table, laughing as they tried to eat, and at times failing to do so because of frequent fits of laughter and giggles as they shared their private jokes with one another.

Fergus had left for Highever the day before, and Oghren had run off to Lake Calenhad to meet Felsi a while back. Leliana and Zevran were out shopping for the day, as they prepared to set out on different missions that Alistair had given them. Wynne was also out shopping for herbs, so that left them alone at the table for the time being.

Teagan watched them as he checked the letter in his hand for the fifth time. He should have interrupted them a while back, but they looked so happy that he didn't have the heart to do that just yet.

Finally he moved forward and approached them. Alyssa was giving him a brilliant smile as he moved closer to where she was sitting.

Before she could greet him properly, he held out the letter, and she took it, her smile vanishing.

She knew what it was, somehow, and seemed to be expecting it. She read it, nevertheless, if only to confirm her suspicion.

She turned to Alistair when she was done, her face disappointed and her eyes on the verge of tears.

"It's from the First Warden Commander at Weisshaupt," she said, her voice low. "He wants me to become..."

"Warden Commander of Ferelden," Alistair completed the sentence for her softly.

They didn't speak, but he took her in his arms and rested his forehead on hers, a gesture that calmed her somehow.

Teagan retired with a heavy heart, leaving them to their private moment. He knew how much they had gone through to stay together, and now they would probably be separated. He sighed as he walked towards the kitchen to grab something to eat.

...

Their love-making was sad and tender at the same time that night. Alistair held on to her tightly when they lay together afterwards and caressed her longingly, already missing her.

She set off early the next morning, and Alistair watched her till she disappeared from view. He went back into the Palace, a lump in his throat.

Teagan met him in the throne room, already explaining the agenda for the day. He nodded and went through the morning mechanically, and the lump in his throat was still there, his eyes dry with unshed tears.

What hurt him the most was that they had never truly been separated since Ostagar. They had fought together, travelled together, gotten married and ended the Blight together.

Now that he was king, he had to be left behind and he thought this was unfair. For the first time since becoming king, he truly hated and resented it, and wished he was merely a warden. He realized now that he had only accepted it because Alyssa had made it easier and had counted on her being at his side at all times.

Her dog, Pawn had also been left behind. She had spoken to Pawn and asked him to watch over Alistair, and this had brought a smile to his lips in spite of the bittersweet goodbye they had shared. The dog had understood and now followed Alistair all over the palace, turning into his shadow for the time being.

The day stretched on until Teagan came to him bearing news that some darkspawn had been sighted in the Bannorn and asked if he would be sending some soldiers over. Alistair stood there for a moment and a smile slowly brightened his features.

"No, not sending soldiers. I'll be looking into it myself. I'll take soldiers with me and leave immediately."

Teagan looked a bit surprised until he understood. He would be stopping at Vigil's Keep in Amaranthine along the way. He smiled, nodded and left to get everything in order.

Alistair practically ran to his rooms, ordering for a bath to be drawn along the way.

Once he was done he hurried back to the main hall of the palace where a group of Templars stood, waiting for him.

"Your Highness, we heard of your sudden trip to the Bannorn, and the city of Amaranthine is along the way. We have reports that confirm that an apostate is being kept there, and request to accompany Your Royal Highness to the Keep," one of the Templars, a woman who introduced herself as Rylock, addressed Alistair, while bowing to him.

"Request granted. However, I suggest that you hurry. We are leaving immediately," Alistair said, not bothering to contain the lopsided grin that was now visible on his face.

...

Alyssa was fighting for her dear life.

After arriving at Vigil's Keep she found the place overrun by darkspawn. Fortunately one of the soldiers, who had accompanied Alyssa to the Peak, Mhairi, did not leave her side, and proved invaluable in clearing the Peak of the darkspawn.

They reached the interior of the keep, to find a mage who had finished off a great number of darkspawn. Templar corpses surround him as well. Alyssa fixed a questioning glance at the blond mage.

"Ah...I didn't do it! The Templars were killed by the darkspawn, I...tried to save them, but couldn't."

"What were Templars doing here anyway?" Alyssa questioned, and he blushed, reminding her, strangely enough, of Alistair.

"Well," he paused, "I might have had something to do with _that_," his face breaking into a grin. "They _might_ have been...er...taking care of me..."

"I see," Alyssa said, already making up her mind what to do with him. "How would you like to fight the remaining darkspawn with me?"

"He is clearly an apostate!" Mhairi urgently whispered in her ear.

"Yes, well, he is also a very skilled mage," she retorted, and Anders heard what she was saying and grinned.

Mhairi did not reply. Alyssa turned back to a grinning Anders. "Well, what do you say? Coming with me or not?"

He looked at her up and down, sizing her up before answering. "Oh, I'm coming alright," he quipped boldly.

Alyssa sighed and feigned disappointment. "Sorry, already taken."

He burst out laughing.

"I'm Anders, by the way, and you are...?"

"She's the Warden Commander of the Keep," Mhairi cut in, and he looked back at her with admiration.

"Yes, well...let's get going then," Alyssa said as she turned to open another door at the end of the room.

...

They fought their way through the various rooms and hallways. Upon arriving at one of the larger rooms, Alyssa received the surprise of her life.

"Oghren! What are you doing here? I thought you were with Felsi!"

"Aye, I was. Until she kicked me out..." Oghren took a swig from his private stash and burped. "I thought you'd be at the palace."

"I'm the new Warden Commander, so I have to clean up this mess and get to the bottom of this."

"That's just dandy. I came here because I heard the Grey Wardens were recruiting and found this," he waved a hand around, "so I joined the fray."

Alyssa's jaw hit the floor. "You want to become a Warden?"

"Aye. A chance to fight darkspawn for the rest of your life seems like something any dwarf would do. Right, Commander?"

"Well, yes...I can't argue about that. For now, will you help me clear out the Keep?"

"No need to ask, that's what I'm here for," Oghren grumbled.

...

For the first time in her life, she was facing a Talking Darkspawn. She shook her head, scarcely believing when she heard it talking.

The Withered was holding the Seneschal prisoner, and meant to kill him. Alyssa confronted him angrily and met with something that sounded like laughter as it regarded her small size.

She charged and danced around him, Starfang and The Rose's Thorn whirring around in a blur, and pivoting on the spot, severed his head.

Seneschal Varel thanked her and pledged his loyalty to her. He also recognized her as the Queen of Ferelden, and went down on one knee, which greatly surprised Alyssa.

Before she had a chance to respond, he glanced down from where they were, and saw a large company of soldiers approaching the Keep.

They went down into the courtyard, and Alyssa's heart skipped a beat when she saw Alistair making his way up the hill and soon standing before her.

She fell on one knee, and the rest followed suit.

The king took her hand, helped her rise, and moved in to kiss her passionately in front of everyone who was there.

...

He spent the night there, lending her support during the Joining and she was extremely grateful for this. Anders and Oghren both survived, becoming Grey Wardens, but Mhairi, unfortunately did not, and she was upset.

Alistair comforted her and stayed for the celebration after the Keep had been saved. They mingled and chatted with the nobles gathered there and he kept an arm firmly around her waist the whole time.

The nobles were enraptured with the king and his queen.

Alistair knew that she would be staying to solve the problems in Amaranthine, as she was proclaimed arlessa and being the Warden Commander of the order she had to stay to help rebuild it.

Later that night, as they lay in each other's arms, he approached the subject.

"Love, I know that you have to stay here, and I must be off to attend to the Bannorn, even though I sent a company of soldiers ahead. The sightings of darkspawn there are a threat, and I must move in to secure the banns and their lands."

"I know, my love," she said quietly and nestled closer to him.

"I wanted to ask, would you mind if I wrote to the First Warden, requesting a replacement for you?"

She lifted her head and smiled brilliantly at him.

"No, I wouldn't mind. I'd be thrilled in fact!"

He chuckled and took her face in his palms, kissing her. "I'll do that before I leave then. Even so, you'll have to stay here and look after things until your replacement arrives, I'm afraid."

"I'll be fine, Alistair. You know that. So stop worrying."

He chuckled again. "It's true. I married an indestructible goddess."

**A/N: The new Orlesian Commander will arrive in time to help out in Amaranthine and gradually take over. Alyssa will stay only to defend the city, and the new Commander will defend the Keep, thus earning respect and admiration from the Ferelden wardens. Therefore, in the next chapter, we'll see Alyssa returning to court to be with Alistair, and from there resume her activities. So yeah, no more Awakening as I promised, lol **

**However, there **_**might**_** be visits from one or more characters from Awakening... ;) **

**Please read and review, I really love reading your feedback. :) **


	52. A Brush With Death

**Special thanks to Grannaah and Harmakhis for their reviews! Yay! :D **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 52 - A Brush With Death

The city of Amaranthine had been saved because Alyssa had fought alongside the people, and thanks to the new Warden Commander, so had Vigil's Keep. This outcome had, in turn, warmed the rest of the wardens to him, and he was grateful to Alyssa for having placed her trust in him so completely, for it was this that had helped him even more in the end.

The Mother had been slain, as had the Architect. They both had fought the final battles together. No loose ends had been left. Even Velanna seemed to like the way things had ended, and that, in itself, was a mystery.

They celebrated in the throne room. After having been away for nearly three months, Alyssa felt elated to know that she would be setting out to return to Denerim the following morning. She felt she had much to celebrate so she stayed up later that night with her companions, and enjoyed every moment of it.

Anders approached her before she retired for the night. She gave him a genuine smile and he returned it. They had become good friends, though she didn't know that Anders kept wishing to himself that she wasn't married.

"Ah, dear former Warden Commander. How do you feel about leaving tomorrow?"

"Excited at the prospect of seeing my husband again, thank you," she giggled at his expression of mock pain as he clutched his heart exaggeratedly.

"You wound me, dear lady," he murmured dramatically.

She grinned back at him, her violet eyes twinkling merrily.

"Ah, Anders, there you are," the Warden Commander said as he stood beside them, giving them a brief smile. "Have you told the arlessa yet?"

Alyssa gave him a confused look.

"I see you have not yet told her," Mataeu said stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I gather I have messed it up, no? How do you say?" He squeezed his dark eyes shut for a moment as he concentrated. After a few seconds, he opened them and they were twinkling.

"Oops!" He exclaimed triumphantly.

"What?" Alyssa asked, completely baffled.

"No, no, no! That is the expression! _OOPS_!" He grinned as Anders burst out laughing.

"You can use 'uh oh' also. It means the same thing," he told Mataeu.

"Honestly, you two!" Alyssa said and rolled her eyes.

They grinned back at her.

"Well, what is it that you need to tell me, Anders?"

"Oh, the Warden Commander has ordered me to...ah...go on an important mission," Anders retorted, looking innocent as Mataeu's eyes widened at him in disbelief.

"I did no such thing!" he protested vehemently.

"You gave me permission to leave the Keep, didn't you?"

"Yes, but..."

"Ah, then you told me that our former Warden Commander would need a skilled mage to accompany her on her way back to Denerim, just in case she needed a healer, right?"

"I may have suggested that, yes, but..."

"Then it's settled," Anders finished off, his eyes twinkling. "What say you, my lady? Would you be willing to let this rogue mage accompany you to Denerim?"

Mataeu sighed as he gave up and walked towards Nathaniel, leaving the two of them to talk alone.

"Well, we are in need of a mage at the palace, actually. Our mage, who is a dear friend of ours, has left on another mission to Tevinter with one of our companions who fought with us during the Blight, you see."

Anders said nothing to this, merely smiled and nodded. "Well, I'd be more than happy to assist, but you know my aversion to balls and chains."

"Oh, you would have the liberty of coming and going as you please, so long as you tell us beforehand and also let us know how long you would be gone."

"Hmmm...it's _still_ a kind of ball and chain..." he rubbed his chin.

"Well, could you at least stay until we find another mage willing to take up the position, then?" Alyssa asked, knowing full well that he would not say no to that.

"I would be happy to take the post, and even train the young mage who replaces me," he twinkled.

"Train? If the replacement is already a mage, what would you train them in?"

Anders' eyes danced.

"Never mind, I really don't want to know," Alyssa told him hastily as she blushed.

He burst out laughing.

...

Oghren went with them which did not surprise Alyssa. He told her he wanted to go to Lake Calenhad to visit Felsi anyhow. He probably wanted to say hello to Alistair as well.

They met no one along the road. Denerim was only a day away, but Alyssa was in such a hurry to get back home that she made them walk faster than usual. They did not stop to rest, and ate as they walked.

They were only an hour away from the city of Denerim when it happened. A group of darkspawn ambushed them and they found themselves completely surrounded.

There were two emissaries, but Alyssa killed one immediately after they were attacked which left one that aimed a crushing prison spell directly at Anders. She moved in to kill it, while Oghren dispatched a genlock and hurlock at the same time with his massive battle axe.

Her attack on the emissary succeeded in releasing Anders from the spell, but his mana had been drained and he could not fight.

They managed to kill the remaining darkspawn and Alyssa rushed to Anders, who was kneeling, unable to stand.

Then it happened. A rogue appeared out of nowhere and he thrust his dagger brutally into her chest.

Both Anders and Oghren froze for a moment and then Oghren let out a cry and killed the rogue, while Anders caught Alyssa in his arms before she fell to the ground.

"Well! Don't just stand there! Heal her!" Oghren shouted gruffly at the mage.

"I- I can't. I have no mana left. I need lyrium..."

He frantically went through the packs they had and found health poultices, while Oghren undid the buckles to her leather armor, which had stuck to her skin because of the blood that was pouring out. He peeled it off, and Anders applied the concoction to the wound and pressed his hand to it.

He asked Oghren to look for lyrium in the packs, but Oghren could not find any.

They looked at Alyssa with a sinking feeling in their stomach and fear clutched at their hearts.

"Damn pike twirler is going to kill us," Oghren said sadly.

...

Teagan ran through the palace wildly and burst into Alistair's study, breathing heavily.

Alistair looked up from the boring paperwork he was pouring over, and saw the fear in his eyes, as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Teagan? What - "

"Alistair, Alyssa was hurt coming home, the darkspawn attacked them..."

Alistair was up at the mention of her name, and interrupted his flow of words.

"Where is she?"

"In the great hall, they managed to stop the bleeding, but the blade was poisoned," Teagan broke into a run to follow Alistair who was sprinting towards the great hall, "There is a mage with them, but he was hit by a crushing prison spell, and has no mana left to heal -"

"Get a soldier, anyone, find a healer! Go!" Alistair roared as he entered the great hall.

He stopped for a few moments looking in shock at the scene before him. Teagan had already left, dragging two guards with him.

Alyssa was lying on the stone floor. Blood was slowly trickling from her chest, and the blond mage she had conscripted when he had arrived at the Keep was by her side, pressing his bloodied hand to the wound, while Oghren was standing beside them both, a worried scowl on his face.

He ran up to her, and took her in his arms, pushing the mage aside rather roughly, but Anders did not protest. He was too worried to do so.

"Maker's breath! My love! Oh!" Alistair managed to say as he held her close, one hand now pressed against the wound to stop the steady trickle of blood and the other arm holding her closely as he rocked her against his chest.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, the emissary drained my mana, and we were not carrying any lyrium with us..."

He practically snarled at Anders. "_You're_ the mage! _You_ should have been carrying the lyrium! How could you be so stupid!" His voice rose to a bellow at the end.

Anders flushed and bowed his head, but he did not say anything.

"It's not his fault that yer wife here wanted to leave so fast, or he would've checked to see if there was any lyrium in his pack. She didn't want to stop, she was so sodding anxious to get back. We had to practically run to keep up with her." Oghren belched to give more strength to his words.

Alistair cursed again under his breath. Alyssa's maid came in and held another poultice in her hands, which Alistair took and applied to the wound. He attempted to cover up her chest, when he realized that she didn't have anything under her armor at all.

The minutes dragged on. Alyssa was very pale, and her breathing became very difficult.

Alistair's breath hitched as he tried to control the tears that were threatening to fall.

He started praying out loud.

At that moment, the doors opened and Teagan rushed in, a mage trailing behind him. He had found the mage by chance at the Wonders of Thedas and thanked the Maker for his luck before rapidly explaining the situation to him and running back to the palace.

The mage quickly made his way to Alyssa's side, assessed the wound, ran his hands over her and started to heal her. Her flesh knitted together instantly and he proceeded with the healing, trying to stop the flow of the poison in her body.

After a few minutes, she started breathing more evenly, and a bit of color returned to her cheeks.

Alistair let out a sob, and thanked the Maker.

"Your Majesty, she should be taken to her bed, it will be some time before she is fully conscious and recovers," the mage said.

"Yes, of course," he stood up and carried her. "Teagan, please pay the mage for his services _generously_." He stressed on the word and Teagan nodded. Alistair turned to the mage.

"You cannot imagine how grateful I am, ser mage. I value her life above my own," he said softly.

Before Alistair left, he turned to Anders, who was now visibly relieved at Alyssa's recovery.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, please accept my apology," he said earnestly.

Anders then understood why Alyssa had fallen in love with this man. He nodded and gave Alistair a brief smile. "I _am_ a good healer, when I have all my mana and it isn't so painfully taken from me, that is..." he attempted to joke, testing the waters.

Alistair grinned at him and left, carrying his love tightly in his arms.

**A/N: I thought it would be interesting to put Alistair and Anders together, especially because of what is to come...hehehe**

**Hope you enjoyed this. Please read and review. It means a lot to me! :) **


	53. Duncan's Memorial

**Thank you so much Harmakhis, Virginia Gale and Angelsong9 for your wonderful reviews! :D **

**Smuttiness ahead, so fair warning: Mature/adult content up ahead! :) **

**Bioware owns...**

Chapter 53 - Duncan's Memorial

Alyssa tried to open her eyes, but her head throbbed painfully and she winced. Her eyelids fluttered as she struggled, and in doing so took in details of where she was.

Everything was blurred for a few moments, but she could vaguely see a human figure sitting in a chair close to the bed she was lying on. She blinked.

Alistair's form came into view as she recognized him. He was asleep in the chair, his head thrown back. He was snoring softly.

She remembered now. She had been hurt while fighting darkspawn...she struggled to sit up, and she winced as the pain in her head got worse.

Alistair started from sleep, rushing to sit at her side, taking one of her hands in his.

"Hush, my love, just be still. You are still weak, and need to rest," his voice was a low rumble in the silence of the room.

"Alistair," she whispered weakly, and tried to smile up at him, but grimaced.

"What is it? Are you in pain?" He asked urgently.

"My head..."

He jumped up and darted to the door, whispering something to the guard stationed there, then walked back to her side where he finally sat, holding her hand again.

"How long have I been out?" She asked weakly, shutting her eyes. It hurt to talk, but she had to know.

"Two days," he murmured. "The blade was poisoned."

The door to their rooms opened, and Anders walked in, relieved to find her conscious at last.

"Anders," she murmured and again tried to smile.

"No need to say anything, my lady. Let me perform a scan and fix what needs fixing..."

His hands traveled along the length of her body, a soft blue glow emanating from his fingertips.

She felt the pain in her head lessen, then slowly disappear. Giving a sigh of relief, she smiled up at Anders, who returned the smile and stepped back.

"Thank you so much, Anders, that felt so marvelous!"

He chuckled and his eyes twinkled at her.

"Alistair, don't you think we need a mage around now that Wynne is gone?" Alyssa turned to her husband who was smiling tenderly at her.

"Why you are certainly a mind reader, my dear. I have asked Anders to stay on as the palace mage, and an advisor to the throne." Alistair smirked.

"Oh! Advisor too?" She grinned.

"Yep! Sad to say, but I might like this arrangement after all." The amusement in his voice made her giggle.

Her giggle turned into a yawn.

"I'm so glad," she murmured sleepily.

"You'll be asleep again in a short while, but only for a few hours. Your Majesty, she must eat as soon as she wakes up," Anders turned to him.

"I'll go ask a servant to cook some stew for her," he said.

"No, I'll go, you stay with her, and try to get some sleep yourself," Anders said. "And I said 'sleep', not anything else for now," he grinned at Alistair's blush as he turned to head out the door.

"Anders," Alistair called out to him.

He stopped and turned, a quizzical look in his eyes.

"Thank you so much, for everything. And drop the royal names while we're alone. I'm just Alistair, all right?"

Alistair thought he'd never seen anything as bright as Anders's smile at that moment.

"You got it," he said, and walked out the door, shutting it firmly behind him.

...

Alistair sat at his desk, frowning at the paperwork piled around him. He rubbed his eyes, as Teagan walked into the room.

"Ah! Teagan! Just the person I wanted to see."

"I'm not doing the paperwork for you this time, Alistair," Teagan said firmly, crossing his arms.

"But, you do everything so _well_...and besides, I don't have much time for it anyway. I have to be at the Elven Alienage soon, to oversee the repairs there."

Teagan sighed. He knew that he would probably end up stamping the royal seal on the paperwork himself, while Alistair just signed it. It always happened that way.

"Very well," he said resignedly as Alistair happily stood up eager to be on his way.

"You know I have no patience to read all these things, I can count on you to do that," Alistair grinned.

"Only too well," Teagan frowned. "You should do it yourself, though. It's _your_ kingdom, you know..."

"Yes, but I prefer it when you explain it to me as I sign it. It makes more sense and I'm able to grasp what is happening better," Alistair said brightly, still grinning.

Teagan smiled at this and took Alistair's recently vacated seat. "Just don't spend too much time at the Alienage, remember there is a dinner party with the newly appointed Arl of Denerim, Alistair."

"Did you have to remind me?" Alistair's pained expression told him just how much he was looking forward to it.

"Alistair, you have been putting this off for weeks. It cannot be put off any longer. Now that you are here, and not travelling anywhere..." Teagan broke off as he caught an expression on Alistair's face. "Oh, sweet Andraste! Don't tell me you have just thought of a way to get away from the palace! You can't just go gallivanting around the kingdom all the time! I'd have thought that Alyssa would help you settle down, but the two of you carry on like teenagers!" He shook his head and sighed.

"Well, Alyssa has been wanting to visit Highever, and her brother for some time now. And I do have business there, I really do." His demeanor changed and a sad, haunted look came into his eyes.

Teagan remembered a conversation he had had about Duncan with Alistair and his expression softened.

"You want to put up a memorial for him, don't you?"

"I promised him I would," he whispered.

Teagan nodded and gave him a smile. "I'll arrange it, of course."

"I'll ask Anders to come with us. He loves travelling," Alistair mused and turned to head out the door.

...

Alistair walked through the palace corridors, looking for his wife. He couldn't find her anywhere, and his brow furrowed in thought as he mentally ticked off all the places where she could be.

He needed her to come with him to the Alienage, but he also needed to see her. He couldn't stay away from her for long, not since her recent brush with death, weeks ago.

He spotted her in one of the gardens, walking around the rose bushes that grew there and paused, drinking in her beauty.

His eyes wandered down her luscious, small figure, and his breathing hitched slightly.

His desire for her had grown as they spent more time together and he would find himself wanting to take her in the most absurd places and situations, the latest had been in the middle of a tourney held in the city, as they sat primly on the raised dais overlooking the jousting grounds.

His face reddened slightly as he remembered how he had fantasized taking her right then and there, and had to stand up afterwards to congratulate the winner, grateful of the armor he was wearing which concealed his erection.

He wasn't wearing armor now, however, and the bulge below his navel grew and throbbed as it pressed against his clothes.

He walked slowly up to her, and she smiled and greeted him, even though she wasn't facing him. She had felt him through the taint.

She turned to fling her arms around his neck and kissed him. "My love," she said and snuggled closer to him, knowing that her wriggling drove him crazy with desire.

He breathed in her scent, and held her tightly, burying his head in her neck and hair. She had felt his erection, and giggled.

He trailed kisses down her neck and caressed her, one hand cupping her breast, while another massaged her buttocks.

She leaned into him. "Oh, my! Does this mean we'll be late for the meeting at the Alienage?"

His hands fumbled with her long skirt, and bunched it up as they groped her skin and finally found her smalls, which he proceeded to slip down over her hips. She moved slightly, and they fell to the ground.

Her hands automatically went to the strings in his leather breeches, under his blue doublet and she expertly undid them and found her mark.

He gasped into her mouth as her hands travelled up and down his length. One of his hands was already on her nub, gently touching and her moans filled the garden.

He lifted her and she locked her legs around him, while his penis pushed into her. She was hot and wet and ready for him when he took her, and he groaned.

He was vaguely aware of where they were as he thrust into her, out here in the open where anyone could find them, but he didn't care. All that mattered now was the urge and uncontrollable need to fill her completely and continue to thrust inside her, his arms holding her so she could receive him and arch herself against him.

He leaned her against the far wall and shifted slightly, his thrust deepening and he grunted, his eyes half-closed as he looked at her body, his breathing hard and fast.

Their movements quickened and their desire climbed, and she started to shudder as her walls held him tightly and convulsed, the first throes of her climax enveloping him in ecstasy. It drove him over the edge and he kissed her as he released himself into her.

Their breathing gradually slowed, and he pulled her close, and kissed her tenderly, his hands roaming over her back and hair, as she put her legs down and finally stood. He withdrew from her slowly, and she let out a disappointed cry, her hands locking around his neck.

"Honestly, my love," she feigned disappointment. "We have to stop doing this in places where we have no water to clean up afterwards. What am I to do now?"

"Uh, oh, I, I-" he stammered, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

She laughed out loud and he chuckled still embarrassed.

She smoothed out her skirt and bent down to retrieve her panties, but he took them from her. Pausing to look at her intently, he bunched her skirt again and used her panties to clean her, taking more time than was necessary.

She was giggling madly by the time he'd finished.

"Will that do for now?" He asked, giving her a lopsided grin, one of his eyebrows arched at her playfully as he stashed her smalls in his pocket.

"Yes, but just remember that means that I won't have any smalls on while we walk around the Alienage. And, _you'll_ have to wash me up properly when we return as punishment." She waggled her finger at him as he hurriedly finished tying his breeches.

"Deal," he promised, as he led her away.

...

They were laughing cheerfully when they returned from the Alienage, and Anders smiled at the happy couple as he met them.

"Sounds like fun, whatever it is you two are up to," he said in a cheerful voice.

"Ah, Anders. Just the person I wanted to see," Alistair said, breaking away from his wife's embrace long enough to talk to him.

"I'm here to serve," Anders responded and smirked.

"We'll be setting off to Highever in a few days, to visit Alyssa's brother. Would you like to join us?"

"See? This is what makes slavery worth the while," Anders teased, his eyes dreamy.

Alistair chuckled. "Good! Ah, I'd like you to be here for the dinner with the Arl of Denerim, as my advisor. You're a good judge of character and I want to know if he is reliable to a certain point or not. We selected him because he seemed like the best choice at the time, but you never know and it doesn't hurt to keep an eye out."

"Say no more. I'll be there," Anders promised and winked at Alyssa. "You're looking extremely lovely today, my Queen," he batted his eyelashes at her.

"He-eyyy!" Alistair protested. "I'm right here!"

"Does that mean I get to do this when you aren't around?" Anders quipped back smirking.

"Not funny!" Alistair said, but grinned back nonetheless.

"We'll see you at seven in the dining room," Alyssa said, as she led Alistair away giggling. "We have...um...other _pressing_ matters to take care of now."

Anders burst out laughing and watched them leave, a wistful expression suddenly on his face.

Alyssa was leading, and pulled Alistair away in the direction of the royal living quarters and her laughter echoed in his heart.

...

They arrived in Highever five days later, with Anders in tow. Fergus met them in the great hall, and embraced his sister fondly, sharing a brief hug with Alistair afterwards.

Anders stood by politely waiting to be introduced. Then, as they stood aside to let Anders step forward, Fergus started and stared.

"I know you!" He blurted out, and Anders' eyes widened as the memory of a thin haggard man came rushing back at him.

"It's you!"

"Am I missing something?" Alyssa asked, her eyes darting from one to the other.

"He's the mage who nursed me back to health, when I left the wilds!"

Anders smiled and Fergus gave him a bear hug. "What are you doing here? Did they ever catch you?"

"Um, yes," Anders laughed, "but I sort of got away."

"Somehow I knew you would," Fergus smiled.

"I'm now wrapped up in a different kind of enslavement though," he said cheerfully as he gazed at Alyssa and Alistair, who were both smiling at him fondly.

"Oh, honestly Anders...you and enslavement, it's an obsession," Alyssa giggled and shook her head.

"Anders is our palace mage and one of the advisors to the throne," Alistair added.

"Well, that is fantastic! But won't the Templars eventually catch up with you now that you are settled in Denerim?"

"I'm also a Grey Warden," he finished and stuck his chest out proudly.

"Ah, that does make a difference, doesn't it? The Templars can't touch you now," Fergus said nodding. "Come, I'll have some servants show you to your rooms..." his voice trailed as he caught the look on Alyssa's face.

For Alyssa was now rooted to the spot, her eyes glazing over, as the memories of that fearful night came crashing down upon her.

"My love?" Alistair whispered and put his arms around her.

"I'll be all right, darling. It's just that I haven't been back since it all happened."

He nodded and held her closely.

A servant walked them to her old room, where she and Alistair would be staying, Anders would be taking the room next to theirs. Fergus stood by and told them to freshen up and rest. They would meet for dinner in the dining room.

As soon as Alistair had closed the door to their room, he strode to her side and took her in his arms, holding her tenderly, massaging her back and neck.

"That feels so good, my darling. You are my rock and my strength. I'm so glad you are here with me," she murmured.

...

They found the place for Duncan's memorial the next day. It was on a hill, overlooking the village. The grass was tall and green and there were flowers and wild roses growing freely here and there.

"It's perfect," Alistair said quietly.

Alistair ordered the stone monument made as they stayed on in Highever, enjoying their stay as much as possible, actually dreading to be back at court. The freedom they shared at Cousland Castle brought them even closer together.

The day the monument was placed, Alistair said a silent prayer for Duncan and the rest of his brothers who had valiantly died at Ostagar. Fergus and Anders stood by as they listened to the speech Alyssa gave in Duncan's honor.

She finished her speech and held Alistair closely.

She knew Duncan had kept many things from them, but as time went by her resentment towards him had lessened. She truly felt sad at the lives lost at Ostagar, and wished they had won the battle that day.

Alistair was silent on the way back, lost in thought, but he did smile at the banter between Anders and Alyssa. He truly appreciated the mage and was happy that he had stayed on as his advisor, though he admitted to himself that he had asked him mostly because he knew that Anders was devoted to Alyssa and would do anything for her.

Loyalty mattered more to him than getting a good healer and it helped that Anders had proved to be both.

He did not know that loyalty was not exactly what was on Anders's mind every time he looked at Alyssa, nor how he really felt about her.


	54. Avernus Revisited

**Thank you Harmakhis and Warrose for your reviews! :D **

**This chapter is most revealing, lol! Hope you like it! **

**Yep, Bioware **_**still**_** owns...**

Chapter 54 - Avernus Revisited

Alyssa turned around. As far as her eye could see, she was in a pinkish place. The sky was made up of pink tones above her, and the ground was covered in brilliant pink. The trees were dark pink and mauve.

She was confused, and didn't know where she was, so she started walking to see if she could find something that would give her a clue of her whereabouts.

_A dream. This is a dream. _

A little boy suddenly appeared and came running up to her. He had light brown hair and looked up at her and she gasped. He was the splitting image of Alistair.

"Mother, you promised to look after us, to love us. But you're gone," the boy said sadly, his amber eyes accusing and sad at the same time.

"What? Wait!" The little boy ran off, to stand next to a little girl with dark hair.

"You ran off and you left us," she little girl whispered. Her eyes were a light hazel, but she shared the same features as her brother.

They both faced her, hand in hand and whispered the same thing over and over.

"You left us. You don't care about us."

"No!" She started to shake violently, as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "This isn't real! It's a dream!"

She looked behind them, to the horizon, where a black dragon reared its head. It advanced menacingly towards the children. She felt the need and urge to protect them, and ran ahead, putting them behind her as she faced it.

The dragon vanished.

She turned back to them and they stared up into her face.

"You don't care about us."

"I do! I care if I'm your mother!" She protested.

They shook their heads at the same time, holding hands.

"You don't care about us, because you **won't let us be born**..."

Alyssa sat up in bed, sweating, and Alistair sat up at the same time, taking her in his arms. He had heard her cry out and had woken up moments before.

"I'm here, it's all right my love," he said quietly, as she clung to him. "It was just a nightmare, it's all right."

She was drenched in sweat. Alistair went to her vanity and pulled out a clean tunic for her from one of the drawers. He took a dry towel from one of the shelves above their stone bath tub and went back to the bed.

She was still shivering.

He dried her tenderly, and put the clean tunic on her and took her in his arms again.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" He said softly as he rocked her gently against him.

She shook her head but told him after she had stopped trembling. He was still holding her and they were still sitting on the bed.

"There were children in my dream. The little boy had brown hair and your eyes, and the little girl had dark hair, and her eyes were hazel, but they both looked like you. I think they were our children," she said into his chest.

He listened and said nothing to this but did nod, and bent his head down to kiss the crown of her head.

"But they were accusing me of not loving them, of leaving them alone. When I tried to tell them that I would protect them, a black dragon appeared behind them, and I tried to defend them, but before I could attack it, it disappeared. And when I turned to them they told me that I didn't care about them because I wouldn't let them be born!"

She started to cry and he held her closer and rocked her gently, whispering words of love into her ear.

He waited until she had quieted down, and lay her on the bed, settling himself beside her. She nestled into his arms and put her head on his chest. The steady, strong beating of his heart calmed and soothed her.

"I think," he said quietly, "it's time we paid a visit to our old friend Avernus."

...

Alistair went over the details of the trip with Teagan and left the study to find her. He was walking deep in thought and did not see Zevran, walking right into him.

"Ah, Alistair, always doing anything to get my attention, no?" The blond elf said smirking.

Alistair would have blushed but he was so worried, he merely managed a half smile as he regarded the elf.

Zevran frowned. That comment would have been enough to make the ex Templar blush to the roots of his hair, yet Alistair just stood there, regarding him with a worried expression.

"Zevran, you're back. Have you found anything at all?" He asked hurriedly as he glanced around to see if anyone was listening.

"Nothing, no. It is as if the ground has swallowed her up, my friend," Zevran answered.

Alistair frowned and bit his lower lip unconsciously.

"Alistair, what is wrong?"

"Nothing, it's nothing," he said giving himself a mental shake as his eyes once again focused on Zevran's face.

"I know something is wrong and you are a bad liar, my friend."

"Alyssa has been having some odd nightmares," Alistair said. "We're leaving on a trip in two days, to Soldier's Peak..." he trailed off, unsure of what to tell the elf. He didn't want to tell him everything just yet. He had to speak to Alyssa to see if it was all right with her first.

Zevran nodded. "No, don't worry, my friend. I understand if you cannot tell me."

"Thank you, you can go freshen up now, if you want. It's a dark day today, isn't it? Well, we'll see you at dinner," he babbled, while nodding absent-mindedly at him and continued onwards, pausing to look down the adjacent corridor first before turning into another hallway on his right.

Zevran crossed his arms as he watched him disappear from view.

He didn't know what was happening, but Alistair was not himself. He shook his head and sighed, promising himself that he would get to the bottom of it.

...

He closed the doors of the royal chambers and locked them, and his gaze travelled to the thin form lying on the bed.

She looked really pale and there were dark circles under her eyes.

He walked towards the bed and smiled, kissing her forehead and then made his way to the back room where the stone tub was. A servant had already been there to fill it with hot water and he stripped, stepping into the tub and sighed as the hot water enveloped his tired body.

He laid his head back against the stone and let the water soothe him. Then, he started to wash himself, working the lather into his skin. He washed his hair next, rinsed it and stood up. Taking a towel from the shelf above the tub, he stepped out, drying himself.

He did not put anything on, and walked to the bed where she lay, and sat on it, looking at her for a moment. She smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

"We're leaving in two days, my love," he said softly.

"Good."

"You really should try to rest, love. There is still time before dinner and you haven't been sleeping at-"

"No. I don't want to sleep, I keep having those dreams," she shuddered.

He swallowed and nodded, still staring at her intensely.

"Zevran is here," he said, hoping to distract her and put her in a better mood. She had been this way since the first nightmare two days ago, and he had tried to lighten her spirit but had failed every time. And every time she slept, she had had nightmares, so she had stopped sleeping altogether.

She hadn't slept at all the past twenty-four hours.

She turned her head at this, and looked at him. "Did he find her?"

He shook his head and she sighed.

"Maybe she would know what is happening," she mused.

"Maybe," he agreed, not wanting to get into a discussion with her right now.

She sighed and crossed her arms deep in thought. He took this as a cue to stand up and look for clothes he would wear to dinner, but as he moved to stand, she put a hand on his arm and stopped him.

"Don't go."

And her voice held a longing and need that made him sob and take her into his arms.

...

Avernus stood before them and listened, his head tilted slightly to one side. When she stopped talking, he was still standing in the same position regarding her silently.

"Do you know why? Why I'm having these nightmares?"

"I can guess, but I don't know if this is the correct answer," he said. "It would seem as though the souls of your future children are reaching out to you, wanting to be born."

"I thought so myself," she murmured. Alistair squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Avernus turned to look at Alistair. "Have you two been intimate since these nightmares started?"

He blushed then, and shook his head.

Alyssa spoke. "We tried, but we can't, we can't focus. I can't focus. It's hard to explain. It's probably because I don't want to fall asleep and dream."

"Yes, it makes sense. If you had sex, you would be exhausted and fall asleep..." Avernus said thoughtfully.

"I've prepared the first potions for you two to take, to start the treatment to reduce the taint in you. But first I must tell you what to expect and what not to expect." He nodded to two chairs in the room sitting down on another one that faced them.

"This treatment is long, you will have to come here once a month to drink the contents or dose of the potion each time. You will have to take six doses. The taint will fight against the potion and the magic I will use every time. Understand this: it will not be pleasant, and you will not be yourselves. I urge you to get away from court for the duration of the treatment. It will be better for you."

They nodded, holding hands and briefly looked at each other.

"There will be changes in your body," Avernus continued. "An incredible appetite, you will want to do nothing but eat and have sex. The only thing on your mind will be sex and food, for the duration of this treatment. Your demeanor will change. You will seem to have gone crazy to those that love you and surround you. This is why I urge you to be somewhere else.

"The last month will be the worse. I suggest you come here to the Peak to spend that month, away from everybody in one of the towers. You will become feral and behave like animals, as the taint battles in you for dominance. During that time, I will have to use spells to contain you, and will have to lock you up, apart from each other, or you will most likely kill each other.

"After this, during the last week, you will suffer from high fevers, as the taint is finally contained and reduced forever, and when the fevers break, you will be back to normal."

"Well, can we stay here, the whole time? That will save us having to travel here once a month and also it will be better if nobody sees us at all during the entire time of the treatment," Alistair said.

"Yes, that would be wise," Avernus agreed. "You can go back to make all the necessary arrangements, then return. The first dose will not make you mad, the others will. Each dose will be stronger than the previous. But you will notice an increase in your appetite to begin with and will suffer from nightmares. However, they will be far and in between."

Alistair turned to Alyssa, and she nodded immediately.

"Then we'll do it that way," Alistair told Avernus. "We'll go back to arrange things, and come back."

"You must understand it will take some time for your body to adjust after the treatment is over. You will not become pregnant immediately," he told Alyssa.

"I understand," she whispered.

"Now, once the taint is successfully reduced, you will live much longer, and possibly die of old age. You will still be able to sense darkspawn, but not as acutely as before. Your bodies will become more normal, as it were, meaning that you will be susceptible to common colds or other illnesses. You will still possess a stamina above normal and will still be healthier and stronger than most."

"What about our Calling?" Alyssa asked, her voice a whisper.

"There is a chance that you may not even feel the Calling. You will die of old age, and there may never be a Calling for you. Before, when you took the Joining, you had thirty years to live, give or take. Now, with this treatment, you will probably live thirty years longer than that.

"The taint will no longer possess you completely or make you change into broodmothers, ghouls or darkspawn. Understand that it will no longer flow freely through your bloodstream; it will become but a small contained spot within your bodies."

He lapsed into silence apparently waiting for them to ask him to begin.

Alyssa turned to Alistair, and he gazed into her eyes tenderly.

"We're ready," she said, and Avernus handed them each a vial with the first dose of the potion.

**A/N: Please read and review, it means a lot to me! :) **


	55. Descent into The Darkness

**Warning: This chapter, though short, is intense, graphic and full of mature content and imagery. **

Chapter 55 - Descent into The Darkness

(Passages taken from Alyssa's journal)

_**First Month: **_

_Not much to say, not many changes. _

_We returned to the palace today. In order to arrange everything for the next six months, we would have to leave everything in Teagan's hands, which meant we had to tell him. He did not take it very well, but understood why we were doing it. _

_We gathered Teagan and our closest friends in the throne room today. I am glad I did not do any of the explaining to them. It was very difficult. My Alistair did it very well and I felt a surge of pride swell up in me. Teagan, Zevran and Anders were dumbfounded when he finished explaining what we were going to do. _

_Teagan, at first, did not want to listen to us, and protested that Ferelden needed us as rulers. He does not like the idea of becoming the regent for the next six months. _

_He relented in the end, of course. He always does. _

_Alistair has begun to watch me intensely. It is as though he cannot tear his eyes away from me. We make love at odd times during the night and day. _

_The nightmares have started for him, he wakes up sweating and calling out to me in the middle of the night, and I hold him close and comfort him. Surprisingly, I am having no nightmares now. We'll see how long __**that**__ lasts! _

_We have returned to the Keep today, bringing as much food as we can with a retinue of soldiers and servants. _

_After we settled in, we sent them back home, except for some guards who stayed on to protect the keep, and Anders who insisted on staying, even though he knows exactly what will happen to us. He has promised not to interfere, and I see him talking to Avernus all the time. Avernus says that another mage might come in handy later. _

_Avernus doesn't like him much, I think..._

_**Second Month:**_

_The madness threatens us, but we do not fear it. Avernus told us to embrace it, because if we fight back, it will be worse. Some days, we stay in bed naked all day, calling for food as we join our bodies and become one. _

_We still talk and laugh normally when we can tear ourselves away from the bed. _

_Alistair has the most delicious body. His chest captivates me, his hands do the most delicious things to me and my heart and body sing at the same time. I am having nightmares now, where he is gone, killed by the archdemon and I sob and kill myself, throwing myself into the lava below..._

_I found myself flirting with Anders today. He looks so much like Alistair! Alistair found us staring at each other and literally growled at him. He jumped back and left. _

_Then Alistair made love to me on the dining room table, and the two guards stationed outside the keep came into the room and found us half naked and deep in the throes of passion. We looked at them briefly and continued to make love, and they left the room. I don't think they will ever be able to look at us again..._

_How embarrassing, yet strangely intoxicating at the same time! _

_**Third Month:**_

_Sweet Andraste! I don't know how I'm writing this! I can barely keep my hand on the quill, I keep touching myself! I can only think about sex and eating, I am so hungry! So hungry!_

_While we were eating, Alistair poured sauce all over my naked body, and then licked me all over. I tremble with desire now even to think about it..._

_I feel sick as I write this...I attacked one of the dogs that wander around the keep today with a knife and stabbed it to death. I bent down and started to drink its blood...Anders found me before I could sink my teeth into its flesh. He stunned me and took the knife away, then carried me away to the tower. I was laughing as he did so._

_The mages locked us up in the tower while they took turns casting sleeping spells on us to calm us down. _

_Alistair and I don't talk as much as we did, but fuck each other every time we can. It's so much better than talking..._

_I feel the urge to kill Alistair growing inside me. I must kill him and drink his blood! Maker help me! _

_Ah, Alistair! Hold me! _

_**Fourth Month:**_

_Avernus chanted longer than usual as he worked his magic on us. We couldn't keep our hands to ourselves. We stripped and made love passionately in front of him. _

_I am not myself. I stripped naked in front of everyone today, and touched myself, licking my fingers afterwards, laughing all the time. Anders' eyes threatened to pop out, he left the room and Alistair took me right there. _

_He doesn't say much these days, my poor Alistair..._

_He continues to fill me and thrust inside me, even as I am writing this, he takes me, thrusting his penis deeply into my ass, his growls fill my ears, and I want nothing more than this..._

_Ah, his fingers are inside me, I cannot write or think..._

_Alistair found me outside with a soldier today, a stranger that had come to buy some wares from Levi and stayed on when I flirted with him. We were fucking. He joined us, and fucked me too...I cannot get my fill...I am not satisfied, even when I see them kissing and fucking each other, while their hands touch me roughly. I feel the darkness, the soldier is gone, but Alistair is not and he continues to thrust in me. _

_We are taken inside, and howl at them. Alistair growls and snarls, and four men have to hold him down. _

_Avernus ended up locking us in the tower today after we threatened each other with knives in the kitchen. Anders cast a sleeping spell on us and someone took away the knives. _

_I would love to kill him and drink his blood..._

_I must have his blood!_

_**Fifth Month:**_

(The page is full of ink blots and unintelligible scribbles. The words are hard to make out)

_Darkness..._

_There is no Maker, there is no hope..._

_Death will certainly come and claim us. Death and darkness..._

_Alistair! There is nothing but you..._

_Take me! Take me now! _

_Your blood, give me your blood..._

...

The sixth month was the most difficult just like Avernus had said it would be.

Anders kept to his room most of the time, but whenever he walked to the tower where Alyssa and Alistair had been locked in, he could hear their screams.

They had been locked in separate rooms but still screamed at each other at the top of their lungs. They threatened each other and then would call out and beg each other for forgiveness.

Avernus and Anders took turns in casting sleeping spells constantly on them towards the end, so they would not hurt themselves.

Their eyes were wild whenever they were open, and they were thin, in spite of being fed at all times during the day and night. It was as though the taint was devouring them from the inside out, wanting to gain dominance over them, wishing to course and flow through their bloodstream once again.

And then, the fevers started.

They lay on their beds and thrashed, screaming and muttering half phrases and obscenities. The fever burned in them for a week and Anders, who was not a very religious man, prayed fervently to the Maker and Andraste.

...

Alistair was walking in a beautiful field full of flowers and wild roses. He was searching for something, but he did not know what it was. He only knew that he was not complete.

He was strangely calm in spite of this feeling of not being whole, and drank in the beauty of the place he was in.

This was the Fade. It had to be...

He frowned and remembered vaguely that he had to meet someone, and continued to walk until he spied a figure in the distance walking towards him.

This woman, a beautiful woman, was smiling at him, walking towards him. They stopped in front of each other.

Her violet eyes danced at him.

With a sob of recognition, Alistair swept her up into his arms.

...

He opened his eyes and found himself in a room, lying on a bed, and Alyssa smiling tenderly down at him.

There were dark circles under her eyes, and she was pale and gaunt, but she was his Alyssa and they were both awake and felt sane at last.

"My love," he murmured and pulled her down in a gentle embrace.

"We're back, Alistair," she whispered. "We're back and we're cured. It's finally us. We made it."

"Yes, we made it. Thank the Maker!" Then softly into her ear, "I didn't hurt you, did I?" She shook her head.

"I see you are both doing fine," Avernus said. Anders chuckled beside him. "We'll leave you now. Is there anything you would like?"

They turned to him, smiling. "A hot bath," they both answered at the same time, and laughed.

"And cheese," Alistair added, his grin threatening to make his cheeks burst.

Avernus and Anders smiled as they left the room.

**A/N: Please read and review. Thanks! :D **

**Stay tuned, the next chapters are lighter and rewarding, I promise! ;) **


	56. Home at Last

**Thanks to Warrose for the review! :D **

Chapter 56 - Home at Last

They stayed for a bit at the Peak, trying to recuperate as much as they could.

Alistair started sparring again and was happy in spite of everything that had happened. His figure gradually got less gaunt, his muscles stronger, as he sparred with the soldiers and guards.

Alyssa sparred too, and soon felt stronger as well and was almost back to her old self.

They spent a lot of time alone, just holding each other, talking to each other and merely enjoying each other's company. Their love grew even more than they thought possible.

Soon it was time to set out to Denerim and the palace.

Avernus actually smiled fondly at them when they said goodbye and they told him they would return to visit. He assured them that when they had children, they would be born without the taint and told them he would not be in this world for long. He felt his end was near, and promised to leave all his research in his tower for them to find once he passed away.

They travelled lightly and enjoyed the trip back home, pausing to sleep, eat and talk .

Anders was quiet most of the way, and kept to himself. He was lost in thought and Alyssa and Alistair saw this when they came back from bathing in a nearby lake, their arms around each other.

"You've grown very serious, Anders. Are you all right?" It was Alistair who asked the question, concern in his eyes as he spoke.

"Oh! I'm merely thinking about everything you two went through to get rid of the taint. It wasn't easy to watch you, and I imagine it must have been terrible to experience. I was thinking if I would do the same, you know?"

"And would you?" Alyssa asked.

"If I found the right person, and loved the way you two love each other, maybe I would," he said thoughtfully. "Though I can't see myself settling down with anyone," he snickered. "For one, there are too many lovely ladies, and secondly, Anders is so delicious, that he has to be passed around to satisfy all the ladies' needs," he chuckled.

Alistair burst out laughing at this and Alyssa merely smiled, and allowed herself to be led off to their tent, leaving Anders standing next to the fire, smiling.

...

The crowd was cheering at them, all the way to the palace gates, and they found themselves blushing and smiling as they raised their hands to wave at them.

When they finally arrived, Teagan was waiting for them, a grin on his face. Alistair went up the palace stairs and gave him a hug, which he returned, and then he embraced Alyssa. They watched him as he went down on one knee kneeling before them immediately afterwards.

The crowd went crazy and their shouts and cheers could still be heard when they were inside the palace.

"I must say, I'm relieved you have returned. I was beginning to get worried, you said only six months, and two more months have come and gone."

"Sorry about that, Teagan, we were very tired and haggard after the experience. You would not have recognized us. We needed to rest and recover," Alistair said, frowning.

"I can imagine," Teagan murmured.

Alistair walked towards his study, holding Alyssa's hand, Teagan following closely behind.

"Alistair, I must have a word with you, please? With you both, actually," Teagan fumbled with his doublet and blushed.

"Goodness, Teagan, you look really embarrassed about something. Anything we should be worried about?" Alyssa was concerned, her eyes fixed on Teagan, waiting for his reply.

Alistair interrupted. "Don't tell me! We've run out of cheese!" He exclaimed, trying to put Teagan more at ease.

It had to be the stupidest joke but did the trick. Teagan managed to smile and relax. He shook his head and cleared his throat to speak.

"Well, I don't know if you remember the girl you helped at Redcliffe, during the attacks we suffered when Eamon lay in a comatose state and Connor was possessed?"

He had hurried his words together, hoping not to get interrupted.

"Oh! You mean Kaitlyn?" Alyssa said, after giving his words some thought.

Teagan nodded then continued to talk. "Well, I met her a while back, while you were gone. I happened to walk into a store, and discovered her there. She was the owner. She used the money you gave her in Redcliffe to put up the store and she's very successful here," Teagan beamed at Alyssa, and straightened proudly as he spoke about Kaitlyn.

"Oh, that's so nice! I'm so happy for her!" Alyssa clapped her hands and her eyes twinkled merrily.

"Yes, I'm proud of what she has done," Teagan said, a dreamy look coming into his eyes.

Alistair and Alyssa exchanged amused glances with each other.

"Sooo, when is the wedding?" Alistair teased. Alyssa jabbed him with her elbow. "Ouch! What?"

"Honestly Alistair! You're such a little boy sometimes, can't you let _him_ do the talking and tell us?" She hissed.

Alistair pouted. "I am _**so**_ not a little boy!" He said, sounding deeply affronted.

Teagan sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry Teagan, carry on," they both blurted out at the same time, rolled their eyes at each other, and turned back to him, smiling.

"Well, you both have guessed it. I've asked her to marry me, and the wedding is in a couple of weeks." He grinned.

"That is marvelous!" Alyssa said and hugged Teagan, while Alistair slapped his back.

"We must have the wedding reception here in the palace!" Alyssa said cheerfully.

"Really?" Teagan said, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Of course!" Alistair told him and turned to his wife, his grin turning into a brilliant smile when he saw her nearly jumping with excitement.

"We'll invite close friends and anyone you wish to invite Teagan! You must write out a list, so I can organize things! OH! I must send word to Highever, Fergus has to come!"

"I hope I'm invited too," a voice interrupted coming from the open door.

"Leliana!" Alyssa cried and ran to hug her dear friend tightly.

"Ah!" Alistair said sadly. "Now they will spend half the night awake going on and on about shoes and fashion." He shook his head.

But even though he feigned disappointment, he could not continue for very long, because the redhead bard had swept him up in a bear hug and he chuckled as he hugged her back.

...

The palace was bustling with activity. The wedding had taken place in the Chantry and Alyssa and Leliana had run ahead to arrive before the newlyweds and the rest of the people, hoping to quickly oversee the banquet room and check if everything had been carried out according to their plans.

They needn't have worried. Everything was perfect and satisfied them both.

They heard the people arriving and Alyssa automatically fell into her 'queenly pose' as she greeted them regally and Leliana giggled, bringing a gloved hand to her mouth.

The bards and musicians took their places and waited for everyone to arrive.

Alistair walked over to Alyssa. He had changed from his ceremonial golden armor to a dark red doublet inlaid with gold and dark burgundy breeches. Alyssa thought he looked dashingly handsome, smiled up at him, and told him so, her eyes dancing. He looked down at her tenderly, and smiled.

The people in the room were indeed close friends and nobles who supported the king and queen and had proven trustworthy to Teagan while he had acted as regent.

Oghren and Felsi had shown up, with their two little ones, and Alyssa had cooed at the youngest, who was barely three months old, and led them to a room where she had a servant look after them. Oghren looked subdued and uncomfortable, his eyes kept darting towards the ale, when Felsi wasn't looking.

Alyssa's eyes found Fergus who was talking to Leliana. His eyes clearly admiring the bard, as he did so, and she smiled when she saw this.

Anders and Zevran mingled and smiled, pausing to eat and comment on the ladies in the room from time to time.

Anders suddenly caught sight of a beauty dressed in a lovely teal gown and walked over to where she was standing. Zevran chuckled watching him talk to her, and the girl's silvery laughter reached his ears.

He decided to go introduce himself and annoy Anders for a bit.

"His Majesty, Alistair Theirin, King of Ferelden!" A guard called out, and everyone grew silent.

Alistair raised his glass to the happy couple. His speech was short and to the point.

"Love is difficult to find, but once it is found, one should never let go. My friends, a toast to you and to your future together. May your love grow and continue to grow as it should."

Everyone raised their glasses and murmured their agreement.

Alyssa nodded to the bards and musicians and Teagan led his bride to the dance floor, followed closely by the King and Queen.

"You know, it's not only a Blight that brings people together," Alistair's voice rumbled as he led Alyssa around the room.

"No? What else brings people together, then?"

He smiled, lost in her eyes, pausing a moment to quiet his beating heart, which he was sure everyone could hear above the music.

"Love," he said simply and he bent down to kiss her.

**A/N: No, this isn't over yet. Still some loose ends to take care of, lol! Please, pretty please, read and review, thanks! :D**


	57. Memory Lane

**Harmakhis, your reviews made my day! Thanks so much! :D**

**Bioware owns :D**

**Please read and review, thanks! :) **

Chapter 57 - Memory Lane

Alistair stirred in his sleep and his arm automatically flung to his side, his hand groping for his wife's body, which he knew was next to him. His mind, still half asleep, slowly registered that his hand was touching the sheets and not a body.

He opened one eye and then the other, and stared.

He could make out the bed clearly in the moonlight coming in from their bedroom window, but there was nothing there.

No Alyssa.

He frowned.

Sitting up in bed, he looked around the room, but there was nobody else there. "Blast!" The curse he uttered wasn't loud but it was enough. He got up, determined to find her.

He was wearing nothing, so he looked at the chair next to the bed. His loose trousers were still there, where he had left them. He put them on, and walked out of the royal bedroom, his bare feet making no noise on the stone floor as he walked.

_Maker, where can she be? _

He went down a set of stairs, and found himself in a long hallway that he knew led to the sparring area. He shook his head, but he went there anyway, just to make sure.

It was empty.

His brow furrowed in thought and he turned to walk back into the hallway.

_Midnight snack, perhaps?_

He set off to the kitchen, but stopped at his study first.

Empty of course.

_This woman is going to be the death of me..._

The kitchen was empty, and cold, the fires had been put out long ago. He wished now he had brought a robe or had put on a tunic, but he didn't go back.

He thought about her rose garden, the one she would go to all the time, to meditate or just relax.

Pivoting on the spot, he head out that way. He was worried now.

_What if she isn't there? _

The guards stationed around the various parts of the palace must surely think the king was mad by now. He knew he did.

He passed no one on the way to the gardens and was grateful for that. He had already passed a couple and he didn't want more guards to second-guess his sanity because he was wandering half naked around the palace in the dead of night.

The moon shone brightly into the garden, and he could see clearly as he advanced along the path.

The garden was big and had a variety of trees and flowers that bloomed sweetly all spring and summer. It was spring now, and the honeysuckles gave the garden a sweet aroma as he walked.

The path he was on would take him directly to the roses, but he saw her before he got there.

She was wearing one of his tunics, and it didn't cover her much, but she seemed oblivious to this as she sat on one of the benches, staring at a rose bush beside her.

She did not hear him approach and since the taint in them had been reduced, they would sometimes not feel the tingle that would warn them about each other's presence unless they were standing very close to each other, or not distracted.

"Hey," he said softly, not wanting to scare or startle her.

She looked up and smiled at him. He sat down next to her, and put his arm around her.

"I'm sorry. You were asleep and I couldn't sleep and didn't want to wake you," she murmured into his chest.

"It's all right." His voice was soft and calm and she relaxed against him.

He held her closely, aware of what her body was doing to him, but did not give in to his desire. He felt she needed his comfort right now, not sex.

His hand caressed her hair, and shoulder. This soothed her and she sighed.

"I was thinking," she said in a low voice.

"What about?" His lips brushed the top of her head he took in her scent.

"Everything."

"Well, that would probably explain why you aren't sleeping then," he teased.

She smiled, and sat up, looking into his eyes. Her eyes were sad.

He frowned. "Maker, Alyssa, what is it my love? What has you so upset?"

"I'm not pregnant. It's been over a year now, since the treatment, and I'm not pregnant." Her voice was sad and small, and her eyes held unshed tears.

His eyes gazed into hers, worried now. "Alyssa, you know what Avernus said. He told us that it might take a while to-"

"I'm supposed to be normal now. Kaitlyn and Teagan got married, and they have a lovely baby. Why can't I? Why can't we be parents, Alistair?"

He shook his head, and sighed. "We are still young. You are barely twenty-two and I'm twenty-six. We have time."

She said nothing to this, but turned her face away and looked down at the ground.

"Love, don't do this to yourself," Alistair murmured, his hand still caressing her head, his fingers running through her long, dark hair.

"Maybe the Maker is punishing us," she whispered.

"What! Why?"

"Because we were so selfish, because we did terrible things to each other and to others, while we were going through that treatment."

"We were not ourselves," he blushed, as he remembered flashes of what had happened. He pushed the images away firmly. "We were going insane. You know this, love."

"Yes, but still, we were selfish."

"How is it that we were we selfish? Wanting to have children to love and give them a good life, is this selfish? Ruling over a kingdom kindly and serving the people, trying to make others happy, is this selfish?"

As usual, his reasoning calmed her. But she still looked down, and did not meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry, my love. It's just that I want to have your children. I want you to be happy..." her voice quivered.

His hand cupped her chin, and he lifted her face to his. "I _am_ happy. I have everything I want and need, right here. I am loved by a wonderful woman whom I adore. What is there to be unhappy about?"

She sobbed and moved into his arms, resting her head on his chest, her arms around his waist.

"Besides," he said, "I have cheese whenever I want to and live like a king!"

She laughed and looked up at him, her eyes twinkling.

"Ah, there you are! Hello, beautiful!" He beamed at her.

"Alistair I think I'm more in love with you, you make it all better. You deserve a prize..." she flirted.

"Is that a declaration? Or an invitation?" His eyebrow shot up, and he smirked.

She grinned and stood up, her eyes twinkling. "Why, yes! What are you going to do about it?"

"Oh, I have one or two things on my mind, actually." His eyebrow shot up at her again, and he gave her a lopsided grin.

She giggled. His arms reached out to her, but she jumped out of the way, and giggled again.

"Catch me if you can!" And she ran off.

_Yes, this woman will be the death of me...but what a glorious death it will be! _

He took off after her, laughing into the night air, knowing full well what would happen once he caught up with her, which made him run all the faster.

...

The following morning, Alistair was in his study going through the paperwork on his desk when the door flung open and Alyssa excitedly flung herself on his lap.

He pulled her close and laughed.

"What's this? Are you going to ravish me now, right in the middle of my mid-morning tasks?" He teased, pressing his forehead to hers and kissing her soundly on the lips.

"Alistair, look at this!" She was holding a parchment in her hand. "It's from Fergus! He wants us to go to Highever because he's announcing his _engagement_! He's getting engaged, Alistair! He's holding a party and, oh! Can we go?"

"Getting engaged? Hmmm. His betrothed wouldn't happen to be a redhead bard we know, now would it?"

"Yes! He's getting engaged to Leliana! I'm so happy for them! But you didn't answer my question. We're going, aren't we?" She pouted, knowing what that did to him.

His eyes fixed on the pout, and he kissed her, sucking her full bottom lip before breaking the kiss.

"There's no need for you to work your charms on me. I'll have to let Teagan know and see if he'll fill in for us. But yes, I suppose we can go." He grinned at her squeal of delight as she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, shall I go get Teagan then?"

"No, he's gone off to the market square to commission armor for all the new soldiers. He won't be back till later. Around lunch-time I suppose."

Her face fell. She looked like a little girl and he chuckled.

She glared at him. "What?"

"You look like a little girl that hasn't had her way. It's very endearing," he said, and the adoration in his eyes made her melt, in spite of her disappointment.

"Then, can I stay here and make you company?" Her eyes danced and he was the one who melted this time.

"If you do, I'll never finish what I am doing and Teagan will have my hide," he said, but she pouted again.

He kissed her again, mindful of his erection and sighed into her mouth.

"Woman! You don't know what-"

But she silenced him with a passionate kiss, while wriggling on his lap, and that made him stop thinking altogether.

...

They took Anders and Zevran along with them, and set up camp before they reached Highever.

Sitting around the fire, Anders sighed, and Zevran smirked.

"What's that?" Alyssa turned to them, curious.

"Our mage is pining," Zevran grinned at Alyssa.

Alistair turned to Zevran and his gaze shifted to Anders, who was blushing.

"Soooo, who's the lucky girl?" He said, trying to keep his laughter from bubbling up and taking control.

"Nobody," Anders answered sullenly.

"She is beautiful. I am quite smitten by her myself," Zevran sighed.

Anders glared at him, his fingers sparking slightly.

"No! You would not hurt me would you? Your closest friend, your comrade in arms?" He looked at the mage in mock disbelief.

"Shut up," Anders said and stood up. "I'm going to my tent now. To try to get some sleep. Good night, all."

"Sweet dreams," Zevran called after him smirking.

Alyssa shook her head, smiling.

"Zev," she said. "Have you felt anything since we set off?"

"No, nothing at all. Why? Is something wrong?"

"I feel like we're being watched closely, or followed. But I checked just now and there are no footprints, no obvious signs that we are indeed being followed. It's strange," she mused.

"No, I haven't felt anything. But I will be extra careful and look out for the signs," he said.

"There are guards and soldiers with us, so I don't think they'll try anything," she said. "I just wanted to know if you had felt anything, that's all..."

Alistair said nothing, but looked worried. "I'll make sure that half of them stay awake on the first watch and then they should switch with the other group for the rest of the night."

He walked off to the captain of the guards to talk to him, leaving Zevran and Alyssa alone at the fire.

"You are worried about something else, no, bello tesoro?" Zevran asked her, and his eyes bore into her soul.

She stiffened for a moment but then sighed. She couldn't keep anything from Zevran even if she wanted to.

"Well, I am, yes. I...well, I haven't gotten pregnant yet. And before you say anything, yes, I know that it would take some time for our bodies to adapt to our changes and for me to conceive. Avernus told us this, but...it just saddens me, that's all..."

"I understand, truly," Zevran nodded and took her hand, squeezing it briefly, then letting it go. "But you must not let this upset you. If you let yourself be unhappy, you will hurt Alistair, and you don't want that, no?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, I know you're right. Thanks Zev."

Alistair came back and sat down beside her again, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Well, it's my turn to leave you for the night. I will catch up on my sleep now. Good night and please do not make so much noise when you retire for the night, my friends," he teased.

They smiled at him and Alyssa was quick to answer. "We'll keep it down, I promise." Her eyes twinkled and he chuckled as he left them

...

The party was a success and Leliana and Fergus looked radiant. They had invited some friends from Highever, which had become close to them in the time they lived at the castle.

There was dancing and food and drinks and everyone was happy and carefree.

When they finally retired, Alyssa was slightly drunk as she held on to Alistair, giggling madly as they made their way through the hallway.

Alistair suppressed a laugh, and he steadied her before opening the door to their room.

The moonlight and firelight fell on a figure standing in front of the fire who turned to face them.

Alistair's eyes widened as he stared at someone he thought he would never see again for as long as he lived.

Alyssa's mouth parted when she realized who it was.

Morrigan stared at them both, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"'Tis only I, do not be alarmed," she said and then they looked down at something that moved behind her, hiding between the folds of her black skirt.

Peering shyly up at them, stood a lovely brown-eyed little girl who could not have been more than two years old.


	58. Morrigan Returns

**Wow! Thanks for all the reviews. Harmakhis, angelsong9, Virginia Gale, Warrose, you all rock! :D**

**Morrigan is one of the loose ends I had to deal with, lol**

**Bioware still owns, last time I checked. O_o**

**Short chapter, but necessary to set the right scene for the next...lol. **

**Please read & review, it means a lot to me! Thanks! :D **

Chapter 58 - Morrigan Returns

They stood there, transfixed, staring down at the small figure who was still shyly looking up at them. No. Not at them. At _Alistair_.

Alyssa slightly turned to him, and saw his eyes and the emotions speeding across his face that were changing so fast, her head was starting to swim.

Fear, anger, hurt, disbelief, awe...

Awe. He was feeling awe. Awe for the little girl that looked like him and was staring. At him.

Alyssa shut her eyes. A painful intake of breath coming from her brought Alistair back to the present with a snap.

He shook his head, and his eyes fixed himself on Morrigan. Morrigan and her arrogant stare. Morrigan, who was hurting them more than he thought possible with her sudden appearance.

_You bitch! _Alistair felt his hands clench and unclench in rapid succession.

He turned to look at Alyssa who had her eyes shut, and a pained expression on her face.

He could not control his anger any longer.

"What are you doing here, Morrigan?" He sneered, the words coming out with such venom that Morrigan blinked.

"Is this the way to greet an old friend, Alistair?" She purred.

He gave a bark of a laugh, disgust written plainly on his face. "Friend? What game are you playing now? What do you want?"

She ignored him, and fixed her golden eyes on Alyssa. Her expression changed to one of sadness.

Alistair did not believe she could even feel sadness. How dare she come here with...with...he swallowed and kept his eyes away from the small form clinging to her black skirt on purpose.

"Alyssa," she whispered. "I am sorry I have to disrupt your life, especially since 'twas I who asked not to be followed and told you you would never see me again."

Alyssa did not reply. She did not trust her voice. The tears were too close to the surface.

"I would not have come if it weren't important," Morrigan added after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

Alistair snorted at this, still clenching and unclenching his fists.

Morrigan paid no heed to him, and continued to focus on Alyssa. She took a step forward, and in doing so, the child mimicked her, still clinging onto her skirt.

_Maker, she's still looking at Alistair! _

Alyssa shut her eyes again. She thought that if she opened them, she would find herself in bed, sitting up, bathed in sweat, just like she always did after a bad dream.

She opened them.

Morrigan was still there.

"Alyssa, please, I do not wish to hurt you. I never did. You know this, don't you?"

Alistair hissed and took a step forward, moving closer to Alyssa.

"Get out of here!" His voice was quiet, but it was strained. "Get out of here, we don't want to hear what you have to say! Get out before I-"

"Papa?" The little girl said, as if on cue, her eyes staring curiously up at him.

Alistair froze and he looked down at her, his face a mask of pain. His child. He suddenly remembered how he had felt as a bastard child. His heart began to bleed, and his eyes brimmed with tears.

Morrigan turned her gaze on her daughter, and it softened. Alyssa had never before seen that look on Morrigan and it surprised her to discover that she actually loved her daughter, and very much.

"Morrigan, why are you here? Just tell us please." Alyssa's voice cracked as she spoke. Her throat felt so dry, and she felt so weary...

"Something unexpected has happened that requires your immediate attention," Morrigan said and paused for a moment looking for the right words and hoping that the idiot standing next to Alyssa would not interrupt.

"What is it?"

"No!" Alistair practically shouted, the tears now streaming down his face quietly. He brushed them away angrily. "Alyssa, my love, she wants something from us, can't you see? She will use us again, for her purposes. Like she did last time."

Morrigan flinched. "I saved your lives. How quickly you have forgotten," her voice sounded amused, but her eyes were hard.

"You- you, saved us because you wanted something in return!" Alistair stammered out. "You've got it now, so just leave us alone, Morrigan."

"Papa?" The little girl called out again.

This time, Alyssa's face softened. She saw fear in the child's eyes. Those eyes that were so like her husband's.

Alistair looked at her face and his eyes widened.

"Alyssa..." he groaned.

Alyssa knelt before the child. "You don't have to be afraid, no one in this room wants to hurt you," she said softly. The small child looked at her curiously. Then suddenly she smiled at her. Her smile brightened the room and it was the most beautiful thing Alyssa and Alistair had ever seen.

Alyssa felt calm and stood up again. "So tell us what is so important that has you standing here in front of us with your daughter in tow, Morrigan. I'm listening and waiting." Her tone was matter-of-fact, and even.

Morrigan smiled at her, genuinely impressed at her reaction. She couldn't resist a jab at Alistair at this moment. "I see you are still the better person of the two."

Alistair let out something that sounded like a growl. Alyssa's hand flew to her husband's arm. "Please, Alistair. Just try to calm down. For me. Please?" She looked up into his eyes, and his expression changed to one of pure tenderness as he nodded dumbly.

Morrigan saw she could finally speak out. "There is trouble ahead and I will have to face it. This is why I'm here."

"Trouble?" Alyssa asked, and she felt a sinking sensation in her stomach dreading what Morrigan was about to say.

"Flemeth is back."


	59. To Kill a Demon

**Thank you so much Angelsong9 for your review! :D **

**A hint of what is to come...**

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 59 - To Kill a Demon

The silence in the room was filled with shock. Alistair was the first to recover.

"Flemeth is back? But we killed her!" He exclaimed.

"Yes. But like I told Alyssa, she would one day be back. She has already found a young body, and possessed it. This young woman is close. Very close," Morrigan's eyes narrowed for the briefest of moments.

"Close? What do you mean?" Alyssa asked.

"I have sensed her and trailed her as she made her way to Denerim. I could not follow her more closely without making myself known to her and uncovering myself to her completely. I could not do that yet, because I needed to speak to you both first."

"You need us to kill her again, I take it?" Alyssa said dryly.

"No. I must face her alone. The only person that can truly kill her now is I. Thanks to the grimoire you gave me in the past, I am now prepared to do so."

"Then why are you here? What do we have to do with all this?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"I need your help with my daughter. She is the reason Flemeth is back so soon. She wishes to possess her, to turn her into something evil. My little girl is not evil," Morrigan said and she looked down lovingly at her once again.

Alyssa's heart went out to her.

She turned to Alistair, and saw that his demeanor had softened completely and he was now looking down at his child with tenderness.

Alyssa felt the world spin to a stop for a brief moment. It pained her, knowing that he was not looking that way at _their_ child, but at Morrigan's. It pained her to no end to know that they had no children, and that his only child was a product of a ritual to save their life made two years ago.

At the same time she knew that this child before her was not evil as Morrigan had said. The child was vulnerable, and sweet, and full of beauty on the inside. Pure. Untouched.

"What can we do to help?" The words were out of her mouth before she knew it.

She saw Alistair jerk up his head and turn his gaze upon her, his mouth slightly open in surprise. She smiled back at him and her husband's eyes widened.

"I need you to look after my little girl. I need you to raise her as your own." Morrigan said softly, still looking down at her.

"I need you," and her voice hitched slightly, "to become her parents. Because I shall die when I face and fight Flemeth. Once I leave to fight her, I shall never return."

"Well." Alyssa replied. "The Maker truly has a sense of humor."

...

Morrigan's shoulders drooped as she stood there, an air of weariness creeping up on her.

Alyssa caught this immediately.

"It is late. You both are exhausted. I'm sure we can further discuss this tomorrow, Morrigan. Come with me. I shall show you both to your room for the night."

She marched out of the room, and Morrigan and her child followed her, with Alistair closely behind until they reached a door.

"This is the guest room. It is clean and ready. You can sleep here tonight," she said kindly as she flung the door open. "I'm sorry the servants have retired for the evening. I would call one to start a fire in the fireplace for you..."

"Do not worry about these things. I have magic, I can start a fire," Morrigan's voice sounded amused.

"Of course, how silly of me to forget," Alyssa smiled back. Her smile did not reach her eyes.

Before she left, Morrigan touched her arm. "Thank you, Alyssa."

Alyssa turned to Morrigan and on an impulse, hugged her briefly. Then she turned around and left the room.

Alistair stood there, and looked down at his daughter for a moment. He tore his gaze away and looked at Morrigan. He shook his head, and left.

...

Alistair closed the door behind him and saw that she was already in bed, her back to the door.

He sighed and undressed. She had laid out his loose trousers for him and he took them and put them on. He moved towards the bed and got under the sheets, turning to her, his eyes on her back.

He reached out an arm and touched her shoulder gently.

"My love," he whispered.

"It's all right, you know. The child is not to blame. It's not her fault that I- I cannot conceive..." she finished bitterly, a sigh of resignation escaping her lips.

"Alyssa," he pleaded. "Look at me."

She obeyed and turned to face him. "Alistair, you do not need to feel guilty if you feel something. She is your daughter."

"You will conceive as soon as your body is ready. We did not go through all that for nothing, you know. I'm convinced we'll have children."

"I wish I could share your confidence, my husband," she smiled sadly up at him. "But it is of no matter now. We have to take your daughter, and raise her as our own. This is what is important now."

"Alyssa, I wish I could do something to make all this better." His voice was hoarse and his eyes sad and tender at the same time.

"My love, this is not your fault. It's all mine. I asked you, practically begged you, to perform the ritual."

"You didn't force me. I still had a choice." His voice was strong, in spite of how he felt.

"Yes, but you made the right one. We could not have faced what was to come if we hadn't. I know I would not have. If you had struck that final blow and died, I would have simply chosen to walk into the deep roads immediately afterwards, and perished there."

He took her in his arms and held her close, his heart heavy.

"I love you so much," he murmured.

"As I do you," she murmured back. "And always will."

...

(**Morrigan's PoV**)

I knew that it would be hard, but never knew how much.

I was looking at her. My daughter. She was sleeping peacefully and the smile on her face nearly brought tears to my eyes.

I was weak in the end. Weak enough to follow them and learn about their trials even now. Weak enough to discover what they were pursuing against my better judgment. Weak enough to come to the conclusion I had come to. Weak enough to do what I was doing now.

I would do what I had to do. I would kill Flemeth. I would win this battle because I had the one thing that could kill the demon that threatened her. I had love, and Flemeth could not love. It was _her_ weakness.

My daughter was all that mattered. She had taught me that Flemeth had been wrong. She had taught me that love is indeed important, that to love was the only thing that was worth living for. My daughter.

The soul of the old god made her perfect in my eyes. She was perfect. The god of beauty was not just beauty in a physical sense. It was beauty beyond physical. It was beauty of the soul. Her soul.

I settled down into the bed beside her, listened to her light breathing, and looked upon her.

"You are beauty," I whispered. "Because you are good and there is only love in your soul."

I smiled after I had whispered the words. I knew it would not be easy, that I would die a thousand deaths and would feel the pain that a mother feels when giving up her only child. But I also knew that she would be in good hands and that she would fill their void.

And that was all that mattered.

**A/N: NO! This is NOT the end...haha! :P**


	60. Aurora

**First of all, I'd like to thank Warrose, Angelsong9 and Harmakhis for their reviews! :D **

**I want to say that this was the hardest chapter to write. Mainly because I had an issue with the way that the game dealt with the whole Dark Ritual. Morrigan explains to the warden that the child will bear the taint, and the taint will lure the soul of the old god to it like a beacon. **

**Yet Morrigan, if I am to understand correctly, also says that she wants to raise the child 'away from the powers that corrupted it' meaning that the soul is not corrupted. I felt a contradiction here, don't know what you all think, but it sure puzzled the heck out of me. I mean, the taint was in the fetus, how could the 'old soul be raised away from the powers that corrupted it'? I know, I know...it's physical vs. spiritual, but still... O_o **

**I have written this chapter and edited it AND rewritten it more times than I can count. I still am not very happy with it, but I do want to convey the feeling of good vs. evil and the purity of love which is what Aurora is. **

**I hope I succeeded and you like it...**

**This chapter is intense, and the end of the chapter is sad. You have been warned! :( **

Chapter 60 - Aurora

Alyssa took a deep breath and knocked on Morrigan's door. She opened it and found them both awake, sitting at the chairs and table in the room.

"Morrigan, I hope you both slept well?"

"Yes, we did," the witch smiled genuinely at Alyssa.

"You must stay here for the time being. I must tell my brother and the others what has happened. I'll have breakfast sent to you both, and hot water for a bath."

Morrigan nodded, still smiling.

Alyssa looked at the child who was smiling up at her.

Alistair arrived at her side, slightly disheveled and out of breath. "I hoped you would wait for me," he said in a low voice.

She smiled at him apologetically, touching his face briefly, and turned her attention back at Morrigan and her daughter.

"What's her name?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"Aurora," Morrigan answered, and her hand automatically went to her daughter's hair, as she put a stray lock behind her ear.

The girl was beautiful and was undoubtedly Alistair's. Her hair was a soft golden color and her eyes were the same amber brown as his. The similarity ended there-her features were mostly Morrigan's.

Alistair advanced a few steps into the room and smiled down at Aurora who smiled back.

"There is something you two must know about her," Morrigan said. "She is barely two years old, her birthday was last month, but you must know this already and this is not what is important. This little girl is special. Her soul is special."

"The soul of an Old God," Alyssa murmured, staring down at her.

"Do you know what that means, I wonder?" Morrigan asked.

"Not really, no," was the reply.

"She is powerful, but no mage. Her power is the power of the gods. In her case, it is beauty. Her soul is beautiful, because it is full of pureness and love. She is incapable of an evil thought or action. She can make peace happen in even the most impossible situations, soothe the wildest beast and bring out the good in everything. She embodies everything that is completely opposite to what that soul was like when it was corrupted."

Morrigan paused, pondering on what to say next. She didn't know if Alistair and Alyssa were ready for everything, but she felt she was running out of time.

She also knew that Alyssa had something important to take care of first so she thought she should wait to speak to them later.

"I know you have to tell the others, we can continue this conversation later."

They nodded and turned to head out, but Aurora's laughter stopped them before they reached the door.

She was holding out her arms to them, and her eyes danced at them merrily as she laughed. The child was bubbling with happiness, and it was contagious.

Alyssa and Alistair both smiled and knelt before her. She ran to them and hugged them both, flinging one small arm around Alistair's neck and the other one around Alyssa's.

Wordlessly, they hugged her back.

Morrigan smiled at them.

Aurora stopped hugging them and ran back to her mother, giggling. She sat next to her, and hugged her, squirming with laughter as she did so.

"Go, we shall wait for you to return," Morrigan said quietly, smiling down at her.

...

Alistair and Alyssa entered the dining room. They were holding hands and looking tenderly at each other.

Fergus and Leliana were at the table, as were Zevran and Anders. They had stopped talking and they all greeted them warmly.

"Fergus, we have to talk," Alyssa said, as she sat at the table, Alistair taking a place beside her.

"It's good that we're all together, this concerns all of us, really," Alistair added.

They all looked at them, and waited.

"My dear, would you do the honors?" Alistair murmured to Alyssa, who nodded and took a deep breath.

"Oooh! I love stories," Leliana squealed with delight.

Alyssa chuckled.

"Well, this story is very real, not a tale sung by bards, I'm afraid. It starts when two Grey Wardens, who were trying to stop a Blight, encountered Flemeth and Morrigan in the Wilds..."

...

Everyone in the room was silent, struck dumb after Alyssa finished telling them everything.

Fergus looked at his sister and swallowed. "Alyssa, I know that this is fortunate for you both in a way, I know how much you want a child, but are you absolutely sure about all this?"

Alyssa turned to Alistair, who looked tenderly down at her. She turned back to Fergus and nodded.

"Do you feel you can really trust Morrigan?" Zevran asked next.

"She is leaving her only child with us. And she adores the child, Zev. I do trust her, yes." Alyssa breathed.

"What about you, Alistair? I know that you don't like Morrigan. What do you think?" Zevran said, his pale eyes on Alistair's face.

"I know that Aurora is a good child, and that is good enough for me. I still don't trust Morrigan, though," Alistair said, "but the child is my daughter, and I feel that we may be good for her, and she will obviously be good for us."

Zevran crossed his arms and frowned. "Forgive me but I swore to protect you, Alyssa, and this all seems strange to me. I do not think that Morrigan is doing all this out of the kindness of her heart, I'm sorry. But if you have both made up your mind to keep this child, then I will stand by your decision and support you."

"That's all right, Zevran and thank you," Alistair nodded.

"Well, I'm happy for you both!" Leliana jumped up from her seat and ran to hug Alistair and Alyssa, smiling at them. "And I do trust your decision. And about Morrigan, it _is_ very difficult to do what she is going to do, isn't it?"

Anders was listening to all this but said nothing. Alistair fixed a questioning gaze on him.

"Ah, you want my opinion, I see..." He scratched his chin. "Well, I think I'm going to be the one that says 'no comment' here. I will have to assess everything first. I'll let you know what I think after some time."

They both nodded to this.

"Well, bring Morrigan and the child here, then. I, for one, want to meet them," said Fergus.

...

Morrigan stepped into the room, conscious of all eyes on her and her daughter, who was holding on to her hand and Alyssa's.

The little girl stopped in her tracks and solemnly took in the sight before her. Serious faces stared back at her and she started to giggle.

Everyone in the room softened slightly and Leliana stood up and quickly walked up to her, and bent down to talk to her.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" She cooed.

"..rora," lisped the girl shyly. "Aurora," corrected Morrigan, looking down at her, a smile on her lips.

"That is a lovely name, for such a pretty little girl," Leliana said happily.

Aurora giggled, and put her hand over her mouth.

"Hello, Leliana," came Morrigan's greeting.

The redhead nodded at Morrigan briefly and asked her to sit at the table.

Morrigan sat and gazed at everyone there, her yellow eyes moving from face to face. They stopped at Zevran who was giving her a half smile, his eyebrows arching.

"Zevran," she inclined her head.

"Ah, still the same beautiful woman, I see," Zevran nodded in return.

Morrigan's smile deepened, knowing full well that Zevran didn't trust her one bit. Nor did anyone at the table for that matter. Not even Leliana. She knew how cunning the bard was. Nevertheless, she knew that she had Alyssa's trust and that was what mattered to her.

"I must tell you what has to be done, for I don't have much time," Morrigan said, her voice calm and even.

"What do you mean? Aren't you staying and returning to Denerim with us?" Alyssa asked.

"No, I cannot. I must leave and go to Denerim alone. Aurora must stay with you."

"What?" Alistair said, his mouth parting in surprise.

"You must listen to what I have to say, please. I know this is hard for you to understand and accept, but I speak of what is, and will not say what you want to hear.

"I must not go with Aurora to Denerim. I must go alone and lure Flemeth out of the city. If I go with Aurora, she will sense her and attempt to possess her then and there. This must not happen.

"I will lure her as far from the city as possible, hopefully she will follow me to the Frostback mountains, where I will engage her in combat. It will be a battle to the death.

"Aurora is a special child, she taught me many things. She will bring you peace, happiness and love, not that you are lacking any of this," she added smiling at Alyssa.

"Are you sure you don't want us to help you?" Alyssa asked.

"You cannot face her. She is too powerful and would kill you. I cannot allow that to happen.

"Aurora knows things. She knows what I must do. She knows what will happen and she knows you both will take care of her.

"She can speak simple words and sentences, but she knows more than you think. She is a fast learner too."

Morrigan lapsed into silence, her brow furrowed in thought. She took a deep breath, and focused her gaze on Alistair, who shifted uncomfortably.

"Alistair, she bears the taint. You _**were**_ a Grey Warden when she was conceived after all." Alistair's eyes narrowed slightly. _Wait! 'Were a Grey Warden'?_

There was something Morrigan wasn't saying. He could feel it.

"It was this taint which brought the soul into her tiny form when Alyssa killed the archdemon and enabled you both to live." Morrigan went on, oblivious to what Alistair was thinking.

"However, her soul remains pure. The taint has not corrupted it. She will not feel a Calling, because her soul is the soul of the old god, but she will not live long. She will live to be twenty at the most, and then waste away to nothing. Her physical form will cease to exist and vanish, and her soul will move on."

_She's lying. She isn't telling us everything. Andraste's flaming sword! _

Morrigan then stopped talking and took Aurora in her arms, hugging her tightly.

"I know you both want a child, and know what you have gone through to try to conceive," Morrigan said quietly.

Alyssa's eyes widened with surprise.

"What? How do you know this Morrigan?" Alistair said, frowning.

"I'm a shapeshifter, Alistair. I have been watching you both for some time now. I know what you are suffering, what you are going through.

"She will fill that void for now, and prepare you for when you have children of your own."

Alyssa looked at Alistair, her hand sought his and she squeezed it silently. Alistair did not look at her, but kept his eyes on the witch. He was still frowning.

_Something is not quite right here. You bitch, what are you hiding?_

"Give me a week. I will have managed to successfully lure her away from Denerim by then. Aurora will know when it is safe. She and I have a connection."

She finished talking and hugged her daughter again. "Mama has to go now, you know this," she spoke softly to the girl, who nodded, tears brimming in her eyes.

They hugged each other tightly and Morrigan broke away. She then walked over to Alyssa and hugged her tightly as well.

"Goodbye, my sister," she said softly.

"Wait a minute, Morrigan, just wait!" Alistair called out.

Morrigan stopped and turned around, her eyes flashing angrily as she looked at Alistair.

"What is it that you want, Alistair? I am giving you your daughter. I have work to do. I need to go."

"I just don't trust you, Morrigan. How do we know if all this is true? What if this is a plan for Flemeth to find and possess the child anyway, away from Denerim? How do we even know Flemeth is in Denerim for that matter?"

"Alistair..." Alyssa began, but Alistair held up his hand. "Just hear me out, love, please," he said to Alyssa softly still looking at Morrigan.

"This should be interesting..." Morrigan sneered. "The little ex Templar _thinking_?"

Alistair stood up, and advanced slowly. He stood in front of the witch and took a deep breath.

"This is all very convenient. You show up and I think you're playing us, because we are going through a very painful moment. You use our pain against us. You know we are trying desperately to have a child."

Morrigan's eyes narrowed. She was seething with fury.

"Alistair, please..." Alyssa sobbed.

He turned to her then, his eyes infinitely sad. "I know how much you want to be a mother, my love. But I have to be sure of this. For you and me both."

"What do you want, Alistair?" Morrigan asked angrily.

"I want the truth, Morrigan."

"I told you-"

"Why did you track us down? Why did you follow us? You said that you didn't want us to find you, but you found us, you followed _us_? And you come here, conveniently at the moment when Alyssa is vulnerable. This is what has me doubting the most. And this is why I want to know the truth."

"The truth! The truth is that I have to face Flemeth! I have to kill her! That is the truth!" Morrigan raised her voice.

"But you aren't going to die, are you?"

"'Twill be a fight to the death!"

"But you know how to defeat Flemeth. Your daughter taught you how, didn't she? Therefore, you will succeed. And you'll live," Alistair said between clenched teeth.

"Shut up, you fool!"

Morrigan was breathing heavily. She was barely keeping her anger in check. Alistair ignored this and went on.

"The truth is that you don't like being a mother much, do you, Morrigan? The truth is that you will survive the battle, but you don't want to live next to your daughter, because you haven't really changed that much. Because it's easier for you to live without love. Oh, you do love her, that much is true. But deep down inside, you don't want to love her. You have to be away from her, because she complicates your future. Because the truth is that you will kill Flemeth, and later return to **possess your daughter**. That is what this whole thing is about."

Zevran had stood up and had inched his way to where Morrigan was standing as well. Anders was frowning at the whole scene before him.

"The truth, is that you are standing in my way, you fool!" Morrigan hissed and whipped out her staff, pointing it at Alistair. "The truth is that you are talking too much! You always did!"

Alistair burst out laughing.

"What! You're going to kill me? The father of your child? Who would take care of her then? Not Alyssa! Not if you kill me!" He doubled over, gasping for breath, unable to stop laughing, falling to the floor on his knees.

"I am warning, you! Shut up, Alistair!"

Alistair laughed harder.

Then...everything happened at once. Aurora ran and stood in front of Alistair, who was still kneeling on the floor laughing. Stood between him and her mother, at the same split second that Morrigan shot a deadly bolt aiming directly at his chest, only the bolt hit her daughter instead.

The little girl's eyes opened wide, staring at her mother, frozen for a moment in time, her mouth open in a silent scream, and then she fell to the floor.

Alistair let out a cry and flung his arms open wide, calling to the heavens and holy smite fell upon Morrigan, stunning her.

At almost the same time, Anders rose to his feet, and shot a crushing prison spell on Morrigan, while he rushed to the little girl.

Alistair turned her over gently and bowed his head. Her eyes were still wide open, and they were staring. Staring at nothing.

Aurora was dead.

**A/N: Just to say that Alistair figured it out, he was right in the end. **

**Oh and...please don't kill me, lol **


	61. Life Goes On

**Dear readers, we are reaching the end. *cries* **

**I want to thank Angelsong9 and Harmakhis for their reviews, and Angelsong9, what is coming will hopefully compensate for the loss of little Anora, yes? :( **

**Some smuttiness ahead, ahem. **

**Thanks to all who favored this story and followed it so closely! You all are what kept me motivated to writing it. :) **

**I am going to start another one soon, I hope. I want to try out with a Dalish elf (maybe) and try something completely different with her story. :D **

Chapter 61 - Life Goes On

Alistair felt the roar start and take control over his body.

The roar, an offspring of his rage.

The rage that was now blinding him.

He did not feel anything else. Truth be told, he did not even know anything else. Except that he had to satisfy the roar and in doing so, his rage.

He stood up, with a speed that he did not know he was capable of, running towards Zevran, who immediately held out his hands, palms extended in a defensive gesture, but Alistair went behind Zevran and took one of his daggers.

Pivoting around in a dance that could only be described as lethal, he advanced the few steps that separated Zevran from Morrigan, and thrust the dagger deeply into her chest, all this done in a matter of milliseconds, the fastest anyone in the room had ever seen Alistair move in for a kill.

And the roar burst forth from his lips and could be heard all over the castle.

The crushing spell on Morrigan faded away and she looked up at Alistair's stormy countenance, a sneer on her face.

"You have ruined everything, you righteous fool...I could have been greater than Flemeth...I hate you _so_ much..."

Then Morrigan was still and was no more...

Alistair fell to his knees, breathing heavily, his eyes falling on the limp form of his little girl.

Raising his head up, he cried out, grief overtaking his rage.

Sobs made his body shake, and a hand touched his shoulder. Zevran had reacted first to all, and his gesture made Alistair look up briefly and in doing so, caught Alyssa's eye.

She was staring at him, made of stone, disbelief on her features, her mouth slightly open, the shock etched deeply into her beautiful face.

Then she ran to him, and wordlessly gathered him up, and he clung to her, still crying.

...

The funeral held for Aurora was as brief as it was sweet. Nobody in the group could say that they did not hold a soft spot for the child who had died to keep her father alive.

It took place on the same hilltop where Duncan's memorial had been built.

She had died to protect her father, and in doing so had caused grief amongst them all.

Alyssa had held Alistair close the entire time, watching as the pyre was lit.

Once it was over, they went back to the castle where they wordlessly spent the rest of the day.

...

"I'm sorry, Alyssa, I'm so, so sorry!" The words came and poured out of his mouth like a litany and Alyssa held her husband close, his head on her chest as she tried to comfort him.

"There is no need to be sorry about anything, love. Nothing was your fault."

"If I had not goaded Morrigan, then none of this would have happened."

"Alistair, Morrigan killed her, not you," came Alyssa's reply. "Morrigan deserved to die like she did, that lying bitch!" She added fiercely.

"Then why aren't I feeling any better?" Alistair's voice broke as he asked the question.

"Because you had a daughter that you wanted, my love. You wanted to be a father. Please stop blaming yourself for her death. None of this was your fault."

She continued to hold him and murmur comforting words into his ear, and only stopped when she heard his even breathing that told her that he had fallen asleep.

...

When Alistair woke up, he discovered that the ache in his heart had lessened greatly and turned slightly to find that Alyssa was not beside him.

He sighed and wondered if he should look for her as he stared up into the darkness of the room.

Arriving at a decision, he sat up and lit a candle on a table next to the bed, and got up.

He put on his boots, and as he was already wearing loose trousers and a tunic, only stopping briefly to put out the candle, and set off to look for her.

As it turned out, she was nowhere in the castle, and he panicked slightly when he did not find her.

He thought about waking Fergus, but decided against it, and made his way to the stables instead.

On arriving at the stables he found that one of the horses was missing and he immediately knew where she had gone.

He saddled another horse, and rode to the hillside where the pyre had burnt and Duncan's memorial was.

She was there, sitting on the ground, looking up at the stars, her horse grazing the sweet tall grass not far from where she sat. She smiled when he sat next to her.

"You are going to be the death of me," he murmured, taking her into his arms, holding her close.

"I'm sorry. You were sleeping and needed to rest. I just came here because this spot is so beautiful and peaceful." She stretched on the ground looking up at the stars, and smiled.

She looked so beautiful lying there on the ground, and it reminded him of the night, so long ago, after her Joining when she had done the same. In fact, she looked exactly the same, she was even wearing one of his oversized tunics tonight, just as she had that night.

Aware of all they had been through and the life that they had lived, he felt the love in his heart swell impossibly, for he already loved her endlessly, and bent down to kiss her, his hands caressing her hair and face.

She laughed into his mouth and held him closely, and he felt himself melting as the familiar sparks started in his stomach and spread in a tingling sensation up his spine.

His kiss deepened and hands started to inch downwards towards her body, stopping to worship her breasts, her waist and hips, and pulling her to him even tighter.

She moaned softly into his lips, feeling his arousal and her hips bucked involuntarily, her hands already seeking out his erection.

He whispered her name hoarsely into the night and when they joined as one, they were both ready and stopped briefly, to savor and make the moment last as long as it could.

When he felt his release come, she cried out his name, and he groaned out hers, and their hearts beat as one.

He did not withdraw as he usually did, but stayed as he was, and she drew him nearer, her legs locked around his waist, and hands entwined in his hair.

He did pull away eventually, only to look deeply into her eyes, which twinkled like the stars above their heads.

He whispered words of love into her ear, and she did the same, and they slowly sat up, and adjusted their clothes, laughing as they fished stray grass from their hair and clothes.

"This was different," she giggled. And he laughed, knowing exactly what she meant. They had never made love under the stars without a tent canopy above their heads.

He did not speak again, just kept an arm around her, as they continued to sit through the night, the peacefulness healing their heavy hearts and open wounds.

When the first signs of dawn finally broke through the horizon, they looked upon it and felt their breaths catch at its beauty.

They finally made their way back to the castle, with a song in their hearts and a feeling of endless happiness surrounding them.

...

The weeks went by and they were back in Denerim, Alistair turned to the affairs of the kingdom with renewed interest and fervor.

The Elven Alienage was looking a lot different from what it had been during the Blight, and the elves continued to support him and admired the king and queen who both fought endlessly to keep making their lives better.

The nobles found themselves delighted at their success in keeping the peace and the economy was boosted due to the trade between Orzammar and Ferelden.

Orlais had also begun negotiations towards reaching a more convenient arrangement between countries, and Alistair did very well in the diplomatic department, his charm and easy manner winning the hearts of all, thus endearing the people to him greatly, as they welcomed the era of a much wanted peace at last.

...

Two months after their stay in Highever, Alyssa was sitting at the table in a meeting with the nobles next to Alistair, when a wave of nausea hit her that left her nearly breathless.

She knew that Avernus had told them that they would be susceptible to normal illnesses and wondered if she had caught a bug of some sort.

Still feeling slightly ill, and not wanting to be sick in front of everyone, she stood up uncertainly, interrupting the meeting and making Alistair start and stand up as he watched her sway on her feet.

His arms immediately went around her, holding her steady.

The nobles gathered there murmured and stood up, concerned that their queen had taken ill.

She tried to get a grip on herself, and took a few steps, but the world came crashing upon her, and she fainted in Alistair's arms, who panicked.

Teagan turned to Anders, who was already by her side.

They carried her to the royal chamber, and the nobles were told to go home by a concerned Teagan, who promised news on the queen's recovery soon.

...

Anders finished examining an unconscious Alyssa and grinned.

"Why are you smiling? Is she all right then?" Alistair asked worriedly.

"Oh, yes, she is more than all right. She is with child," he beamed.

Alistair froze, not daring to believe at first that what he was hearing was real and not a dream. "Are...are you sure?" He stammered out, his face turning pink.

"Well, I'm sensing a life growing within her, and I think I'd know, being a mage and all," he snickered.

Anders's hands roamed over her body as healing magic oozed from his fingers and settled on her head.

Alyssa's eyes opened and she found herself staring into Alistair's very happy face.

"What happened? Am I in our room? Oh! Did I interrupt the meeting?" She frowned slightly, then shot a glance at Anders. "Did I faint? What's wrong with me?"

Anders chuckled and turned to Alistair, who took her gently in his arms, beaming at her.

"**You**, my love, are going to be a mother. And **I** am hopelessly in love with you and eternally at your service, my dear." The lopsided smile that she loved so much appeared on his face, and she gave a cry of joy and embraced him.

"Well, before I leave, I seem to gather from my scan that the baby is fine. And yes, Alistair, you may continue to have sex with your wife, it will not harm the baby," Anders said grinning and his grin turned into a chuckle when he saw him blush a deep red.

Alyssa burst out laughing at this, and she hugged him again.

Anders left the room, still grinning as he set off to give Teagan the good news.

Alistair and Alyssa broke away to look at each other.

"Maker's breath! We're going to be parents, Alyssa! I'm going to be a father!"

And Alyssa laughed as she lay her right hand over her flat stomach. "Alistair," she whispered. "I'm pregnant!" She giggled.

He took her hand away from her stomach and lay his head on it, then kissed it, before lifting his head up again, pulling her closely.

The rest of the world faded to them as they embraced tightly, feeling their happiness envelop them and joy sing in their hearts.

For at that moment, there was nobody happier in all Ferelden, than the King and Queen.

**A/N: Awww! :D **

**Epilogue next... hehehe**


	62. Epilogue

Chapter 62 - Epilogue

The crowd was waiting in the courtyard, and they were restless.

They were awaiting news of the birth of the crown prince or princess.

Inside the palace Alistair paced nervously. Fergus and his bride Leliana, were sitting watching his pacing and _had_ tried to make conversation but had met with a wall of nervousness, as Alistair simply had not responded to their comments or answered with a "What?" at everything they had said.

Alyssa had simply been screaming too loudly and the sound of her screams had his nerves frayed and taut, almost reaching a breaking point. Fergus had tried to explain that it was normal, that all women went through this pain during labor and childbirth but he simply could not take it any longer.

As a result, Fergus had had to stand up on several occasions and restrain him by putting an arm around his shoulders, steering him father away from the door. But Alistair was stubborn, and kept going back to the closed door, which, fortunately for them had been locked.

This, however wasn't necessarily a deterrent. Fergus knew that his brother-in-law possessed the raw strength to bring the door down if he got desperate. So he remained on edge and continued to restrain Alistair the best he could, while Leliana helped him.

All this had gone on all last night and had continued all day today. Alistair was so nervous, that every time Fergus cleared his throat to speak, he had literally jumped.

"I'm sorry, what?" Alistair asked for the hundredth time.

"Alistair, you have to sit down for a moment. You're going to wear that floor down."

A servant appeared with fresh linens and another after her carrying more hot water.

Alistair tried to catch a glimpse of the room when the door was opened, but the door shut firmly on his face.

He bristled visibly, then sighed and finally sat down.

Another servant appeared as if on cue, carrying a tray with food and drink and offered some to the king. He took some cheese and nibbled on it absent-mindedly, keeping his eyes on the offending door.

Pawn was sitting beside him, watching the door too. Fergus could not help but laugh at the similarities between the dog and Alistair right now, though he felt guilty when Alistair transferred his gaze to him and shot out the only word that he was apparently capable of at this moment.

"What?"

Fergus shook his head but still grinned at his bewildered face.

Alistair frowned slightly and reached for another piece of cheese.

"I just remembered about that time when you wanted to put cheese in everything while we were cooking one night at camp, Alistair," Leliana's sweet voice cut in.

"He tried to put cheese in the food you were cooking?" Fergus asked, knowing the story well, but was hoping that Alistair would focus on the conversation, than on the noises coming from the other side of the door at the moment.

"We were having rabbit stew, and he wanted to put a large piece of cheese in it," Leliana giggled.

"Eww," was Fergus's comment.

Alistair snorted. "Everything tastes better with cheese," he said, sounding slightly offended and popped the last piece of cheese he was holding in his mouth.

Fergus smiled. Alistair was finally relaxing a little.

Teagan entered the room they were in, and his questioning glace fell on Alistair, who shook his head and sighed.

Teagan sighed as well and sat next to Alistair. "Kaitlyn is making sure Heather eats her dinner. She'll be here shortly." Alistair nodded and smiled.

The screaming started again and Alistair shot up, determined this time to get through the damn door, even if he had to bring it down by force. As he moved towards it, another sound, a new one floated through the air and reached his ears, making him stop still in his tracks.

The sound of a baby crying.

More screams and then...the sound of another baby crying joined with the baby that was already crying.

_Wait! TWO babies? Maker's breath! _

"Twins!" Fergus laughed.

Alistair's eyes widened when he realized that and then, after several minutes, slowly, oh, so very slowly, the door was finally unlocking and opening.

Anders stood there, grinning, as he held the door open for him.

And then, in a dream-like state, Alistair was suddenly standing before her as she lay on the bed, her long hair down and her flushed face smiling up at him. One tiny baby in her arms and the other in the midwife's.

In the same dream-like state, he gazed upon the babies-_his_ babies and thought he had never seen anything so tiny or so perfect. He put out a hand carefully to the baby nearest him, gently touching the small hand and it grabbed one of his large calloused fingers, its tiny fingers curling around it tightly and strongly, its eyes closed shut.

He felt something wonderful tugging at his heart, filling it completely, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

Tearing his eyes from the baby, he moved closer and sat on the bed quietly, leaning over his other child, watching as Alyssa opened her tunic to bring it to her breast. He watched in fascination as the baby sought the nipple and then caught it and started suckling.

He continued to watch quietly and reverently as the midwife took the child after it had fed and replace it with the other one who did the same with her other breast.

Alyssa looked radiantly happy. She beamed up at him.

He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Twins," she murmured. "I hear that twins are a handful." She gave a short laugh.

"I'm here, I'll help every minute of the day and night," Alistair said truthfully.

Truth be told, wild horses would not tear him away from them, even if they could.

...

The crowd had been gathered for two days now, as they waited patiently for news.

The doors to the balcony above them suddenly opened, and the king appeared before them, carrying a bundle in his arms, his eyes tenderly on it. The queen appeared beside him, carrying another bundle. The crowd broke into cries and cheers.

A messenger called out and asked them to quiet down.

Teagan joined them on the balcony and cleared his throat to speak out to them all.

"Citizens of Ferelden. The King and Queen of Ferelden happily announce the birth of their twins: Prince Duncan Theirin and Princess Aurora Theirin. May the Maker bless them and keep them in good health."

The crowd cheered and went crazy. Alistair and Alyssa grinned and gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before they faced the crowd again and then left the balcony after a few moments.

Once inside they head off to the nursery, which was next to their room and gently set each of the twins into their small cradles. Then they stood there, arms around each other, lovingly looking down at them.

They turned to the nurses that walked into the room and smiled, then walked out towards the banquet hall, where a group of nobles and their friends waited at the celebratory gathering to honor the birth of their children.

Alistair held her hand firmly in his all the way.

He never let go.

THE END


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